New Delhi: Terming the cancellation of its FCRA registration as an attempt to “silence” its campaign, Greenpeace India on Thursday said that it will not be deterred by such moves and will launch a new campaign to highlight nationwide crackdown on civil liberties.
The NGO which has been mired in controversy, said that the cancellation of the FCRA license was government's latest move in a relentless onslaught against the community's right to dissent.
“Greenpeace will continue its campaigning undeterred and is in fact launching a new creative campaign to highlight the nationwide crackdown on civil liberties,” said Vinuta Gopal, interim co-Executive Director of Greenpeace India. She termed the cancelling of FCRA registration yet another attempt to “silence” campaigns for a more sustainable future and transparency in public processes.
The NGO in a statement said that its legal team has learnt that the Home Ministry has notified the Delhi High Court that its FCRA registration has been cancelled. This comes just a day before a scheduled hearing at the Court which was examining the merits of MHA's arbitrary action, the NGO said.
“Cutting access to our foreign funding may be a desperate attempt to get us to cease our work but the MHA probably didn't count on our having an amazing network of volunteers and supporters who have helped us continue our work despite the government crackdown,” Gopal said. She said that since the majority of its funding comes from Indian citizens, most of the NGO's work can continue.
“In fact, we are responding to this latest melodrama by launching a new creative online campaign and are confident that people will show they are ready to fight back in style and send a clear message to those in power. You just can't muzzle dissent in a democracy,” she said.
