Greenpeace India hits out at Home Ministry

New Delhi: The Home Ministry is creating an "emergency" like situation, Greenpeace India alleged on Saturday, claiming that its "arbitrary" actions were a major international embarrassment for India.

Reacting to a crackdown on the Ford Foundation, Greenpeace India said these government actions will "undermine" India's standing in the global community of democratic nations while it said that it is itself facing "very real threat" of shutting down in India with all its accounts frozen.

"We have been saying all along that the clampdown on dissenting voices by the Home Ministry is against what Indian democracy stands for. The MHA is creating an emergency like situation and Indian civil society is already coming together to question this 'my way or highway' attitude of the government.

"It is hardly surprising that the government's actions are now starting to attract international attention. India is right now seeking a far more active role on the global stage. Such actions back home will only weaken India's global image," said Samit Aich, executive director Greenpeace India.

The Home Ministry has put the Ford Foundation of the USA on its "watch list" and ordered that all funds coming from the international organisation have to be routed only with its nod due to "national security concerns".

Greenpeace India too has been at the receiving end of an "orchestrated" and "malicious" attack by the Home Ministry for the past one year, the NGO alleged.

In the past few weeks, the MHA froze all of the NGO's accounts, suspended its FCRA registration and has also reportedly written to the revenue department to revoke the society registration and charity status of Greenpeace India.

"With both our foreign and domestic income accounts frozen by the government, we face the very real threat of having to shut down in what is celebrated as the biggest and most vibrant democracy in the world.

"We hope that democratic principles will be upheld and the government accepts that civil society voices - even those critical of the government - have a legitimate role to play in a democracy," said Aich.

It said the Indian courts have upheld the right to dissent and Greenpeace India hopes the government sees that it has more to gain by allowing a healthy debate and discourse in the country rather than clamping down on dissent.