The Bharatiya Janata party on Tuesday refuted Amnesty International’s allegations that it had to shut down its operations in India due to a government witch hunt and said the organization was receiving funds from abroad in contravention of Indian law.
Amnesty International, in a statement, said that the freezing of his bank accounts by the Indian government, known to have taken place earlier this month, has halted his work.
BJP national spokesperson Rajyavardhan Rathore said Amnesty International had set up four companies and displayed the money received in its account as FDI.
The Directorate of Enforcement launched an investigation after learning that money was being funneled into the company’s accounts without any information or permission.
“The Reserve Bank of India told all banks that Amnesty should be included in the previous reference category. Before receiving money from outside India, they should be in the prior permission category. There have been stealthy money transfers to companies and a suspected flow of money into the international amnesty trust, ”said Rathore.
She said that Amnesty International, which has alleged that the government attacked her for working on human rights issues, has not clarified why money was entering foreign bank accounts.
The BJP spokesperson also said that the organization’s credentials were also questioned by the UPA government. He said questions about the organization were raised three times in parliament during the UPA regime and that on each occasion ministers referred to its “questionable” working style.
“In 2009, during the UPA regime, its license was rejected for receiving foreign funds and the operation was suspended,” Rathore said.
He said that any organization can work in India, but they cannot be allowed to circumvent the laws.
“On July 31, 2004, the then home of MoS Shiprakash Jaiswal said that London-based Amnesty International regularly makes accusations (about the suppression of human rights). On October 22, 2008, in response to a question about concerns about the suppression of human rights, Shakeel Ahmed, MoS, Home, said that the methods used by such organizations to collect information had been questioned. It is not Indian policy to react to such reports. On December 16, 2007, Ahmed again said that the methods used by these organizations to collect information have often been questioned, mainly because they are not free from prejudice, ”said Rathore.
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