Assam’s senior advocate has blamed Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the allegations of foreign funding having ‘terror links’ levelled by NGO-Legal Rights Observatory (LRO) against Ajmal Foundation.
Dispur Police have registered a case against Ajmal Foundation, the charity organisation headed by Lok Sabha MP Maulana Badruddin Ajmal after an FIR was lodged by Assam’s Hindu right-wing leader Satya Ranjan Borah.
The case has been lodged on the basis of a report by NGO-Legal Rights Observatory (LRO).
Legal Rights Observatory (LRO) is a legal rights organisation affiliated to the Hindu right-wing nationalist organisation, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The NGO is led by Vinay Joshi, a former RSS worker.
The LRO tweeted: “#FCRAViolation Ajmal Foundation of @BadruddinAjmal got Rs 69.55 Cr for educn, used only Rs 2.05 Cr for it, rest routed for #AIUDF, to counter @himantabiswa’s #Hindutva juggernaut, #Turkish n UK terror grps funded it in crores! Wrote @HMOIndia for #FCRA cancellation”.
The NGO also wrote: “Needless to say why Ajmal Foundation has spent just 2.5% of its foreign donations on actual cause of education (for which it received) n you would come to know where did rest money go!”
“If anyone has to be arrested first for the allegations raised by NGO-Legal Rights Observatory (LRO) related to suspected foreign funding sources against Ajmal Foundation and Markazul Ma’ariff, the NGOs run by AIUDF chief and MP Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, then it should be the Union Home Minister Amit Shah and not Ajmal,” said senior advocate Zaman.
While interacting with the media at HAMM Hospital in Hojai on Wednesday, Zaman said: “All the fundings have to be cleared under strict norms of the Centre and state government.”
“They have many intelligence agencies, who keep close eyes on all such activities. Then what are they doing? Is it not their responsibility?” Zaman said.
Zaman said, “AIUDF and Ajmal CSR are completely different. For some political gains, no one should drag both to the same board just to malign their images.”
He said the NGOs have to adhere to a proper system and have to submit audit reports along with many other documents every three months.
“If Ajmal CSR has not submitted those documents, then the Central government is free to take appropriate action against them. But it’s not right to malign the image of an NGO publicly, which always stands to help the needy ones. It will only hamper the underprivileged ones,” the senior advocate said.
He further said, “Assam is a land of Sankardeva and Ajaan Pakhir, but unfortunately some people like Satya Ranjan Borah don’t have any idea about this. They only know how to spread disharmony in the name of religion.”
“There are hundreds of cases against such kind of leaders but due to the backing of Sonowal government, no action is ever taken against them for their controversial statements,” Zaman added.
He also said, “There must be a proper investigation into the suspected foreign funding case before drawing any conclusion. It’s just an allegation.”