VSK TN
The controversial organisation Amnesty International, which is facing investigations for violation of FCRA regulations, has roped in actor Naseeruddin Shah to promote its anti-India propaganda. A video has emerged in which Naseeruddin Shah can be seen portraying India in a bad light and raising false alarms against the purported deterioration of law and order in the country.
Amnesty International with the help of Naseeruddin Shah wants to convey in this video that the Human rights enshrined in the constitution are under constant threat in India. As can be seen in the video, Shah alleges that the country we had envisaged is rapidly devolving into a place where people who are speaking the truth, those who are raising their voice against corrupt practices, journalists are being targeted by the agencies and Human rights flagrantly violated.
The video starring Naseeruddin Shah paints a grim picture of the country in which people’s Freedom of Expression is curtailed, poor people are subjugated by the rich and powerful, those who speak out the truth are suppressed, journalists gagged. The video essentially wants to show that the establishment in the country is bent on violating the rights of the people and organisations and coercing them to toe the government’s line.
Last month, Naseeruddin Shah had appeared in a video where he said that he fears for his children in India of today. He had alleged that there is a poison that has spread in the Indian society. His comments had attracted sharp reactions from various sections.
It is notable to mention that the Amnesty International has a bitter history of hostility with the Indian government. The organisation, along with hundreds of NGOs working in India, is under the scanner for receiving foreign funding in violation of laws in the last few years. After the NDA government came to power, agencies have started investigating the funding such organisations receive from abroad. Amnesty International is accused of flouting Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) regulations.
Therefore, it is entirely predictable why Amnesty International has come up with this smear campaign against the Indian government. To receive foreign funding, NGOs are required to enlist under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA). There are certain norms to register under FCRA, and only FCRA registered NGOs can receive donations from abroad. Organisations without the registration can receive foreign contribution only after obtaining prior permission from the FCRA department, subject to fulfilling certain conditions.
In the past too Amnesty International has resorted to besmirching India on the global platform. On the basis of hearsays from an ‘Urban Naxal’ Arun Ferreira, earlier Amnesty International had published an article claiming that India is becoming a dangerous place for Human Rights defenders.
However, with this video, the Amnesty International and Naseeruddin Shah have hit a new low. With no mention of the specific instances of human rights violations, the video reeks of glaring propaganda by the Amnesty International against the government. As the general election is approaching, by raising the bugbear of anarchy and lawlessness in the country, the Amnesty International may well be seeking a regime change that is not hostile to Amnesty International’s various violations of laws