Farmers’ protest: Bharatiya Kisan Union has been accused of accepting foreign funds (Representative)
Chandigarh:
One of the main farmer groups that played a major role in the protests has been accused of accepting foreign funds without proper authorizations. The Bharatiya Kisan (Ugrahan) Union, the largest and most dominant in Punjab with a huge fan base, received a warning from a bank telling it to obtain mandatory registration.
Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan, the group’s general secretary, said officials from the Punjab and Sindh bank in the Moga district of Punjab called him to inform him about a mail from the foreign exchange department.
The group had received 8 to 9 lakhs in the past two months, which was cited by bank officials, Singh said. The money is usually sent from Punjabis living abroad, who donate regularly for social causes.
The group, Singh added, will take a call on their response once they receive written communications from the bank.
The president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, Joginder Ugrahan, said his group is not receiving help from Arthiyas or the commission’s agents.
“The NRIs who have been sending us funds are the ones in Punjab and overseas. They are just helping. What’s the problem with that? It is also their protest. We are not getting help from Arthiyas,” said Joginder Ugraha, the head of BKU (Ugrahan).
In recent years, the NDA government has tightened its enforcement of foreign donation laws and cracked down on multiple nonprofits for violating the rules.
However, Punjab’s Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said that the use of tax laws on farmer groups was a ruse by the Center to break up the farmers’ protest against the controversial farm laws, which is held on its 25th day.
Earlier this week, tax raids were carried out on the facilities of several prominent Punjab artityas. Arthiyas, or commissioners, have been actively supporting the protest.
Officials took action within four days after the notifications were issued, without even waiting for their response, Singh said.
Calling it a “vendetta policy,” the chief minister said it was clear that, having failed “to persuade, deceive and divide the farmers” into ending their protest, the central government is now trying to weaken their struggle.
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