A 2012 interview given by then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to the prestigious Science magazine has resurfaced, drawing attention to his strong remarks about foreign-funded NGOs and their alleged role in obstructing India’s development projects.
In the interview, published in February 2012, Singh specifically pointed to the protests surrounding the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project in Tamil Nadu. He said that NGOs, “mostly” based in the United States, did not appreciate India’s need to increase its energy supply. He further stated that some NGOs were funded by the United States and Scandinavian countries and were “not fully appreciative of the development challenges” facing India.
Manmohan Singh also linked the issue to the controversy surrounding Bt brinjal, arguing that biotechnology had enormous potential to improve agricultural productivity but that opposition from NGOs had contributed to a moratorium on its release. (The New Indian Express)
The remarks were not merely rhetorical. At the time, the government was investigating the foreign funding received by NGOs involved in the Kudankulam agitation. The Indian Express reported that funds received by nine NGOs, including money from foreign donors, were under scrutiny over allegations of misuse or diversion in connection with the protests.
Claims have subsequently circulated that Sonia Gandhi was angered by Singh’s remarks and thereafter sought to marginalise him, allegedly instructing ministers not to listen to the Prime Minister and leaving Singh with little effective control during the final years of the UPA government.
Manmohan Singh publicly identified foreign-funded NGOs, particularly those linked to the US and Scandinavian countries, as a concern in relation to India’s energy and agricultural development, while his government subsequently pursued investigations into foreign funding connected with the Kudankulam protests.
The episode remains significant because it shows that the question of foreign-funded NGOs, development projects, FCRA compliance and their potential influence on domestic policy was being raised at the highest level of the Union Government more than a decade ago.
Click Here to Read the 2012 NDTV report on Manmohan Singh’s Science interview
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