It is both sad and amusing that a think-tank of scholars should scare the Narendra Modi government that often boasts about leading the nation to a global superpower status, the Congress said, reacting to news about the Union Home Ministry cancelling the FCRA licence of Centre for Policy Research.
In a statement, All India Professionals’ Congress (AIPC) Chairman Praveen Chakravarty said: “The Narendra Modi government feared CPR for its uprightness and has resorted to a vindictive act of snuffing its funding by terminating its Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licence.”
“It is an extraordinarily petty act of cowardice by an insecure, thin-skinned government, that ironically craves for international acknowledgment and respect. Glitzy shows of G-20, ubiquitous posters of the Prime Minister and hugging world leaders are not what will propel India to the global stage. Instead, respect for institutions, fostering freedom of expression and a scientific temper of tolerance are what will earn reverence and goodwill for our nation,” Mr. Chakravarty added.
The act of cancelling the FCRA licence, he said, will “deal a death blow” to India’s rich tradition of scholarship and rigorous thought by sending a signal to all other scholars and their institutions.
“It is a matter of shame for us that the mighty Government of India should be so timid to feel bullied by a group of scholars and their research,” Mr. Chakravarty averred.
