“NRIs who have been sending us funds are those who are Punjabi and are abroad. They’re just helping,” Joginder Ugrahan, the chief of BKU (Ugrahan) said.
Accusing it of accepting foreign funds without proper clearances, Punjab and Sindh bank has warned The Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) — the largest and most dominant in Punjab with a huge follower base — over the foreign funding and told to get mandatory registration.
The general secretary of the group Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan said he was called by the officials of Punjab and Sindh bank in Punjab’s Moga district and told about a mail from the forex department.
Mr Singh said that the group has received ₹ 8 to 9 lakhs in the last two months, which was cited by the bank officials. The money is usually sent from Punjabis living abroad, who regularly donate for social causes.
Mr Singh added that the group will take a call on their response once they receive written communications from the bank.
“NRIs who have been sending us funds are those who are Punjabi and are abroad. They’re just helping. What’s the problem with that? It is their protest too. We’re not taking help from Arthiyas,” Joginder Ugrahan, the chief of BKU (Ugrahan) said.
The NDA government, over the last few years, has tightened implementation of the laws about foreign donations and cracked down on multiple non-profits for a rules violation.
The use of tax laws on farmer groups was the Centre’s ruse to break the farmers’ protest against the contentious farm laws, which is on its 25th day, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh reacted.
Mr Singh, talking over the recent IT raids on Punjab commission agents (Arhatiyas), said the officials took action within four days of issuing notices, without even waiting for their response
The Punjab CM, calling it “vendetta politics”, said it is evident that having failed to “persuade, mislead and divide the farmers” into ending their protest, the central government is now trying to weaken their struggle.
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
