Is the uproar around urban naxals linked to squeeze on Church funding to India?

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Sep 2: The arrest of the activists allegedly close to naxals has led to a hue and cry in certain quarters which have been crying foul. While these same activists have always been under the radar and have also had their brush in with the law, the furore being created this time is at another decibel all together.

There are a variety of reasons, why the noise around the issue is louder this time. For one, these persons operating mainly through NGOs have taken a major hit, with the funding being squeezed.

In the past couple of years, there has been a sustained effort to crack down on NGO funding. The targets have been the fake NGOs and also the money coming in to these NGOs, which are not accounted for.

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In recent times there have been reports of Christian Missionaries which have been funding several NGOs in India. It is often said that the West has four wings of the armed forces- The Army, Airforce, Navy and the Church.

Officials say that there has been a sudden rise in the activities of the urban naxalites and this is a lot to do with the pressure from abroad.

In 2014, a major investigation was launched to crackdown on illegal foreign funding. The extent of funding is not small at all. Some 23,172 NGOs across India received foreign contribution amounting to Rs 10,997.35 crore in 2008-09. In 2009-10, some 22,275 NGOs received funds amounting to Rs 10,431.12 crore and in 2010-11, some 22,735 NGOs received Rs 10,334.12 crore.

According to the Foreign Funding Contribution (Regulation) Act, it is mandatory for NGOs to be registered under this law to receive funds from abroad. Figures reveal that only 38,436 associations are registered under the act, of which 21,508 groups have received funds amounting to over Rs 10,000 crore. NGOs in Delhi top the list with Rs 1815.91 crores. Tamil Nadu with Rs 1663.31 crores and Andhra Pradesh (Rs 1324.87 crores) come second and third in this list.

The larger conspiracy:

As part of the larger conspiracy the missionaries have been funding the naxalites, leftist thinkers especially in the main-stream English media. Many write ups have appeared in which it is made too look as though Hinduism is nothing but a religion of superstition. Articles blaming Hinduism for all the evils in society have also surfaced several times.

The aim is to spread an anti-Hindu propaganda and also to ensure that the native culture and tradition is rejected. Funding the naxalites is also a large part of the agenda. The missionaries benefit largely from the violence and under the garb of setting up relief camps, a huge conversion exercise is undertaken.

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Funding comes in various forms. Foreign funding forms bulk of the amount and there are dedicated Churches abroad to oversee this. Collecting big donations in convent schools are also part of the exercise. Funding through allied businesses such as driving schools, computer institutes, de-addiction centres and vocational training institutes too have been found. However a large part of the funding has always been through NGOs.

Funds have also been raised through militant outfits and naxalites. Extortion, national tax as has been seen in Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh are some examples of this. Income raised through illegal mining, tree felling and the money raised through drug trade have also found its way into the coffers of the missionaries.

The fund squeeze:

The real reason for all the noise around the issue is the squeeze of funds. Several persons sympathetic towards the naxals have been arrested and convicted in the past. However there was no such hue and cry and this was largely because there was never any real crackdown on the funding.

Former official with the Research and Analysis Wing, Amar Bhushan says that following the crackdown on the NGOs there has been a stoppage of funds. The missionaries, naxals and their urban partners are bound to get desperate. They will now look for all possible ways to break the nation.

The urban naxalites in my opinion are most dangerous, Bhushan says. These are the ones who do not let the government go after the naxalites in the jungles. When Chidambaram had taken over as the Home Minister, he said that the naxals are our first rank enemies. Whatever their might may be, we will finish them, he had said. However within six months the approach changed with there being a huge uproar. This is what I mean when I say that the urban naxals do not let the government go after their friends in the jungle, Amar Bhushan also adds.