Under scanner for foreign funds, BKU says will reply soon

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 21

Asked by a central agency to submit its registration particulars which permit it to obtain overseas funds, the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan), the largest farmer union in Punjab, has said it is consulting its chartered accountant and legal adviser and would soon file the reply.

The BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) is under the scanner of the Central Government for receiving foreign funds. This could spell trouble for the unions as some of them are getting funds from NRIs and they are not registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), which stipulates mandatory registration of any outfit receiving foreign funds.

Centre rattled

The Union Government is adopting such tactics as the farmer unions are getting a huge response against the farm laws. We have enough funds to keep the protest going till the farm laws are repealed. — Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan, BKU leader

Individuals and organisations are barred from receiving foreign funds without having registered first with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. The contributions received by farmer unions will have to be reportedly sent back to international donors if they are not following the FCRA norms.

“The forex department under the Centre has sent an email which we have received through our bank’s branch in Moga. The e-mail states that we should give registration details in respect of these donations from abroad otherwise these will be sent back,” BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan said. He added the union had received around Rs 8 lakh as donation from abroad in his bank account. Kokri Kalan said the BKU had contacted its CA and legal adviser to file the reply.

Lashing out at the Centre, he said: “The Union Government is adopting such tactics as they are getting a huge response against the farm laws. We have enough funds to keep the protest going till the farm laws are repealed”.

BKU (Dakonda), the second largest farm union in Punjab, is also getting funds from abroad, but it is not registered under the FCRA. BKU (Rajewal) general secretary Onkar Singh said: “We are not getting any funds directly into the account. But proper accounts are being maintained”.