Bhartiya Kisan Union’s foreign funds under FCRA lens
“BKU is being targeted by the central authorities for evoking a massive response from Indians and NRIs. What wrong is there if our supporters working as truck drivers or pursing other labour works send donations from overseas,” said union president Joginder Singh Ugrahan.
The Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan), the largest independent organisation behind the ongoing protests against the new farm legislation, said it has been asked by a central agency to submit its registration details which allow it to receive foreign funds.
“BKU is being targeted by the central authorities for evoking a massive response from Indians and NRIs. What wrong is there if our supporters working as truck drivers or pursing other labour works send donations from overseas,” said union president Joginder Singh Ugrahan.
BKU leadership said it has received an estimated Rs 8 lakh over the last two months but the donations from Indians and the diaspora have not been calculated separately.
On December 6, BKU had issued a public appeal demanding financial resources ‘to pursue agitation’. The union wants donations to be transferred in the personal bank account of its general secretary of Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan. He confirmed that his bank account is not registered as per FCRA, and the forex department of Punjab and Sindh Bank has raised the objection over raising forex. The last date to get the bank account registered expired on Saturday.
Experts say as the Ugrahan faction of BKU is, prima facie, not following the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, funds received by it from outside India are likely to be reverted to the respective account holders. Banking sector officials said, as per rules, an individual or an organisation cannot accept forex without prior registration with the Ministry of Home Affairs.
