The controversial NGO – Open Society Foundations (OSF), funded by billionaire George Soros has moved the Delhi High Court against the Centre’s decision to place it under a “watch list” for funding NGOs and associations that are not registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).
Reportedly, the controversial NGO, which often interferes in India’s internal affairs by funding ultra-left wing activists and other NGOs in the country, was put under the watch list or “prior permission” category in 2016. However, the NGO moved the Delhi High Court against the government only this month.
In its plea, the Open Society Foundations has sought to know the reasons for which it was placed under the list and why no prior notice was served to them.
Interestingly, the OSF moved the High court days before Soros launched an attack against Indian government at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos claiming that the actions of the Modi government in the Kashmir Valley and the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 are the “biggest and most frightening setback” to the survival of open societies worldwide.
In fact, Soros committed $1 billion towards fighting nationalism and nationalists as he attacked the nationalist government in India.
Following the plea, the Delhi High Court issued notice to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the RBI on January 10. Justice Rajiv Shakdher asked the MHA and the RBI to respond within two weeks and fixed March 12 as the next date of hearing.
Any NGO that expects to receive foreign funds has to mandatorily register under the FCRA. The MHA can place any NGO under ‘watch list’ and impose restrictions if NGOs are found violating rules. The restriction means the donors are not allowed to directly send money to NGOs or associations without clearance from the MHA.
The MHA informs to the RBI which then asks banks to alert any transaction to the accounts of the beneficiary NGOs from the foreign donors and seek prior clearance from MHA before the funds are released. There are more than 20 foreign donors under the government’s scanner right now.
There are more than 20,000 NGOs registered under the FCRA currently in the country. The MHA has cancelled registration certificates of around 14,500 associations for various violations and non-filing of returns from 2014-19.
Open Society Foundation (OSF) and interference in internal affairs:
Open Society Foundation, managed by influential Jewish-American philanthropist George Soros, has a history of interfering in the internal affairs of other countries through his network of NGOs.
We at OpIndia have extensively documented the work of NGOs that have received donations from Soros’s Open Society Foundation (OSF). The beneficiaries of the funding from OSF have extensively involved in shaping the mainstream ultra-left wing narrative and often engage in ‘judicial activism’ that seeks to use the courts in order to undermine Indian national interests.
Countries like Hungary and Russia, realising the impact of such nefarious designs of Soros and his NGO, have taken concrete steps directed towards curbing his influence in their internal matters.
In addition to that, George Soros, through his network of NGOs, has connections with a cultivated class of intellectuals who work resolutely towards opposing the Modi government. There are some prominent names with extensive links to George Soros but it is extremely unlikely that these connections will surprise anyone. Some of the most prominent among them are Harsh Mander, Indira Jaising and Amartya Sen.
George Soros has a tremendous influence on American media, especially organizations include the Washington Post, The New York Times, CNN, the Associated Press, NBC and ABC. Soros has spent millions to influence media for influencing people in India through their anti-India coverage. The western media has traditionally held a bigoted view against India, have found enough support from the anti-India financers such as Soros and its results were evident during their recent coverage on Article 370 and anti-CAA riots.
