"Sleeper cells of certain agencies sitting abroad": BJP's Shehzad Poonawala on allegations against foreign-funded NGOs

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala hit out at foreign-funded NGOs over recent media reports on their involvement in "stalling economic and development" projects of the country. He alleged that "NGOs are sleeper cells of certain agencies sitting abroad'.
Speaking to ANI on Friday, Shehzad Poonawala said, "Today this report that has appeared in several media publications about how the authorities have concluded that there is an undeniable pattern where certain NGOs who on the face of it seem to have social welfare as their agenda, but do nothing related to social welfare, get maximum amount of their funds, about 90-95% from foreign sources, from dubious sources, and whose only agenda is to target key important development, economic and infrastructure projects as if they are behaving like economic anarchists and like the sleeper cells of certain agents sitting abroad..."
BJP's Poonawala further alleged that American billionaire George Soros had declared publicly that he has kept USD 1 billion to destabilize India, to destabilize and interfere in democratic processes in India.
"We also know how elements like George Soros have already declared publicly that he has kept $1 billion to destabilize India, to destabilize and interfere in democratic processes in India. So this is an attack on our national sovereignty and on our economic development and progress," he said.
He further attacked political leaders for raising reports of NGOs in Parliament and public forums, accusing them of considering those reports as 'gospels of truth."
"What is most upsetting is that parties like Congress Party and some in the opposition jump onto these reports and then they create economic upheaval within the country based on these unsubstantiated reports..." he added.
Poonawalla's statement came after a national media house recently reported that two NGOs had pursued litigation that was aimed at stalling development projects in the country, including those of Adani Group and JSW. The media report further suggested that more than 75 per cent of the funding for four NGOs during a five-year period came from abroad.