Report on the Infrastructure of Hindutva Influence Peddling, Mobilizing and Fund Raising in the United States, 2014-2021 | (released via sacw.net - May 2022)

 A Report on the Infrastructure of Hindutva Influence Peddling, Mobilizing and Fund Raising in the US, 2014-2021 | (released via sacw.net - May 2022) http://www.sacw.net/article14915.html

India: Hindutva's Ram temple fundraisers leave behind stickers on doors – sparking fear and concern | (report in scroll.in)

 scroll.in, Feb 13 2021

Ram temple fundraisers leave behind stickers on doors – sparking fear and concern

Hindutva groups say they are collecting voluntary donations for the temple in Ayodhya. But their campaign has left many intimidated.

Aarefa Johari

 

 https://scroll.in/article/986670/ram-temple-fundraisers-leave-behind-stickers-on-doors-sparking-fear-and-concern

India: RSS may have cash donation problem ?

The Economic Times

How will RSS account for its cash donations - BR Ambedkar's grandson

By Mohua Chatterjee, TNN | Updated: Nov 19, 2016, 10.45 AM IST

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/how-will-rss-account-for-its-cash-donations-br-ambedkars-grandson/articleshow/55507803.cms

India: Supreme Court notice on BJP plea on its foreign funding

SC notice on BJP plea on its foreign funding
IANS | Nov 21, 2014, 12.07 PM IST

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the central government and the election commission on a BJP plea challenging the Delhi high court order that the contribution to its coffers by the Indian subsidiary of an overseas-based company amounted to foreign contribution.

An apex court bench headed by Chief Justice HL Dattu while issuing notice on Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) plea, tagged it with an earlier Congress plea on the same issue.

The Delhi high court had ruled that the funding for the Congress and the BJP by the Indian subsidiary of an overseas company amounted to foreign contribution which is prohibited and has urged the Election Commission (EC) and the central government to proceed against them.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/SC-notice-on-BJP-plea-on-its-foreign-funding/articleshow/45227179.cms

o o o

see also:

BJP moves Supreme Court against High Court verdict on Vedanta donations
Friday, 21 November 2014 - 3:40pm IST | Place: New Delhi | Agency: PTI

The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to Centre and Election Commission on BJP's plea challenging Delhi High Court's verdict holding the ruling party along with Congress prima facie guilty of violating the foreign funding law by receiving donations from UK-based Vedanta Resources' subsidiaries.

Agreeing to hear the appeal, a bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu issued notice and tagged the case with plea filed by Congress which also challenged the verdict.

Challenging the order, BJP contended that the High Court erred in interpreting the law and Anil Agarwal and members of his family hold more than 50 percent share in the company and any contribution made by them will not be deemed to be contributions from a foreign source.

"The High Court did not appreciate that the petitioner and other political parties have not violated any provisions of Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 1976 or 2010, as the donations made by these two even though Vedanta Resources Plc is a foreign company for the purposes of Section 591 of the Companies Act," the petition said.

It contended that Vedanta is owned by an Indian citizen, and its subsidiaries are incorporated here, therefore they are not foreign sources.

The High Court had held that Vedanta is a foreign company as per the Companies Act and therefore, the Anil Aggarwal-owned company and its subsidiaries, Sterlite and Sesa, are foreign sources as per Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA).

The verdict was delivered on a PIL by NGO, Association for Democratic Reforms and EAS Sarma, a former secretary of the Government of India, who had alleged that the two political parties violated the Representation of People's Act and FCRA by taking donations from government companies and foreign sources.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-bjp-moves-supreme-court-against-hc-verdict-on-vedanta-donations-2037134

A report on the Hindu nationalist circuit in the US

released by sacw.net - 1 July 2014
http://www.sacw.net/article9057.html

US chai fundraisers help finance Modi wave

Well-organised support among Indian-Americans for BJP's prime ministerial candidate is eclipsing that of rival parties.
Purvi Thacker Last updated: 25 Apr 2014

NRIs gathered at the start of the Hindu New Year to campaign for Modi in New Jersey [Purvi Thacker/ Al Jazeera]

New Jersey, USA - Indian-American supporters of Narendra Modi, the Hindu nationalist politician, are vigorously campaigning to propel the former tea vendor to a leading position in the race to head the world’s largest democracy. Momentum in the US among fans of Narendra Modi – the candidate of the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) and one of the most controversial figures of his generation – offers key insights into the religious nationalist's campaign. Analysts believe impetus generated by the Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) for Modi – who has been denied entry to the US for a decade – eclipses that of campaigns backing the ruling Congress Party and the upstart Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), whose anti-corruption platform gained it a surprise victory in the New Delhi assembly elections last December. "OFBJP's local efforts are helping to create an echo chamber of inevitability towards Modi," said Milan Vaishnav, South Asia researcher at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington DC. "There is definitely an 'enthusiasm gap' between the OFBJP's level of enthusiasm and spirit and that of other political parties." Pogrom accusations OFBJP support for Modi in the US obeys a broader strategy to redefine Gujarat chief minister from religious hardliner linked to one of his country's worst episodes of Hindu–Muslim carnage, into economic miracle worker. Modi was accused of being a conspirator in the 2002 anti–Muslim pogrom during which 1,500 people died in India's most industrialised state under his watch, an accusation Modi has denied. In March, 500 Indian-Americans gathered at the start of the Hindu New Year to campaign for Modi in a posh township in New Jersey where the OFBJP had organised one its largest fundraisers. Popularly known as "chai pe charcha" – or "discussion over tea" – the campaign highlights the politician's trajectory from humble railway tea vendor to political frontrunner as about 800 million Indian voters go to the polls. "He will take India to the level of Vishwa Guru [world leader]," said OFBJP President Chandrakant Patel, one of Modi’s foremost backers in the US. Patel – a long-standing activist in right–wing Hindu groups and active within the OFBJP for 15 years – is convinced a "Modi Tsunami" will generate an electoral landslide certain to install him as prime minister. "Modi's strength lies in putting the nation first," he added. Economic hopes Modi's meteoric rise through the ranks of the BJP reflects a radical shift in the politics of India whereby voters seem prepared to overlook his potential to polarise in exchange for the prospect of steering the country into the first world. Economic issues have overtaken ideological differences for many people, providing space for religious ideologues to campaign on a platform of putting the economy – and Hinduism – first. Jayesh Patel, a former OFBJP president, was confident Modi would introduce voting rights for non-resident Indians, improve consular services and boost India's investment climate. 101 East - Modi the Messiah? (Promo) "Modi will even help India secure a permanent seat in the United Nations – wait and watch," he added. "Narendra Modi is a visionary," said Narain Kataria, president of the Indian American Intellectuals Forum, who added that the BJP figurehead will enshrine "Hindu values" if he comes to power. "Hindus are secular by nature and since Modi is a proud Hindu, he is secular too." Secularism is a highly politicised theme in India which many Muslim Indians fear could lead to an imposition of majoritarian Hindu ideals on the country that disregard minority rights. Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen is among those who have expressed unease at Modi's understanding of secularism, saying he would not like a prime minister who generates concern and fear among minorities. Stoking such fears are the links between some BJP activists in India and abroad with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu right–wing paramilitary organisation associated with anti-Muslim violence. Siddharth Varadarajan, a journalist and Senior Fellow at the Centre for Public Affairs and Critical Theory, New Delhi, said: "When Hindutva-oriented politicians or activists make claims like 'Hindus are secular by nature' or that 'India is secular because the majority of its people are Hindu', what they are really saying is that people of other religions are not secular by nature and that if the people of other religions became the majority, India would cease to be secular. "Both of these claims, paradoxically, show the communal thinking of those arguing along these lines. Such people have no concept of civic values, or of citizenship in which the identity of citizens – their religious beliefs, linguistic, caste, ethnic affiliations, gender or sexual preference – have no bearing on their rights and responsibilities." Rival campaigns Sadanand Dhume, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, said anecdotal evidence suggests that most of the funds raised overseas have been channeled towards the BJP and the AAP, although the latter's campaign has recently lost steam. "But it's highly unlikely that overseas funding constitutes a large proportion of campaign funds for an established national party such as the BJP," he said. It's highly unlikely that overseas funding constitutes a large proportion of campaign funds for an established national party such as the BJP Sadanand Dhume The 18 OFBJP chapters comprising more than 5,000 members across various US cities have organised over 200 tea parties like the New Jersey event but, while there is vocal support for Modi, support for Congress and other rival parties has appeared tame. Vaishnav of the Carnegie Endowment explains the "enthusiasm gap" that he detects in favour of Modi on the basis of the emails he has been receiving about OFBJP’s activities. By contrast, he has heard little from the Indian National Overseas Congress INOC (I) about their activism - suggesting a lack of engagement. The INOC (I) website has scant evidence of up-to-date or coordinated activity, its Facebook page has barely 200 likes, and there has been no Twitter activity. Its US members join chapters that accord with their Indian state of origin, and sporadic updates suggest this division has made their activities and lobbying initiatives more individual. The Congress Party campaigners working in the US refused to comment on the record about their efforts. AAP’s outreach coordinator, Pran Kurup, said the organisation adheres strictly to India’s foreign contribution regulations. "We want to help change the politics of India, it's not about the business of getting seats and procuring a majority," he said. Kurup said that AAP volunteers overseas have switched to a digital platform where they are fervently organising online discussions on youth employment, corruption, rising prices and administrative grievances, an effort he compares to a startup. "It's a bit chaotic and unstructured, but there is a common objective without a top-down approach," he said. Heady symbolism These rival parties are clearly finding it hard to trump the religious symbolism and nationalistic imagery of the BJP that was much in evidence in New Jersey, where the occasional patriotic song was interrupted by a priest invoking the gods. The enthusiasm this generates was clearly in evidence among participants such as Arvind Patel, owner of Jersey City based Rajbhog Foods. "I am the sole provider of snacks and tea for such gatherings and all the money comes out my own pocket," he said. Patel has distributed about a million packets of Indian snacks, aptly named "Modi Magic", and had customised Styrofoam teacups with campaign stickers for the event. As the grand finale by traditional "kathak" dancers graced the stage at the Sheraton Hotel, the crowd chanted in unison: "Let us help make an India that we would wish to go back to." Follow Purvi Thacker on Twitter. Source: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/04/us-groups-overseas-funds-modi-2014417102320868846.html

India: Overseas Friends of BJP meet in Delhi elicit NRI support for its “Mission 272+” (report in The Hindu)

. . . the BJP pulled out all the stops to elicit NRI support for its “Mission 272+”.

The mood was celebratory at the congregation, as NRIs and visitors, including the former Prime Minister of Fiji, Mahendra Chaudhary, and England’s Lord Rajinder Paul Loomba, listened to the BJP leadership urging it to forge resources to help “Narendra Modi become PM.”

The Aam Aadmi Party’s success story, buttressed by overseas support, in the Delhi Assembly elections is not lost on the BJP. But, it declared, it was not reaching out for funding, but for support. “We are not doing this for money, I personally think raising funds from abroad is not taboo, but we are not collecting money from PIOs,” said BJP overseas affairs convener Vijay Jolly.

Spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said the BJP accepts funds only from those who hold an Indian passport, pay through cheque and have an account in an Indian bank.

Indians living abroad are not a new constituency for the BJP, but it wants to sharpen its campaign to reach out like the AAP had done. Apart from Rs. 6 crore that came from foreign contributions, the AAP benefited from canvassing on social media, spearheaded by Indians abroad. “The BJP reaches out on the promise of investment opportunities and enterprise, unlike the AAP which is seeking change,” said sociologist Dipankar Gupta.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/after-aaps-success-bjp-fights-for-nri-mindspace/article5545242.ece?homepage=true

The importance of the Indian and Gujarati Diapora in the US — for the BJP and Modi (Christophe Jaffrelot)

The importance of the NRIs and NRGs — for the BJP and Modi — is growing
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/the-parivar-in-america/1155541/0

Bomb Blasts in Nepal: Global Dimensions of Hindutva

Floods, earthquakes and disasters are great organising and funding opportunity for the Hindu Right. A report on their work in West Bengal

The Times of India
11 June 2009

RSS ferries relief to the Sunderbans

KOLKATA: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) claimed that it has succeeded in reaching some relief to remote parts of the Sunderbans by getting
in touch with villagers and asking them to come closer to jetties.

RSS has now launched a drive to collect funds for rehabilitation of these villagers under the banner of the Bastuhara Sahayata Samiti. Members said they have succeeded in reaching 59 villages in South 24-Parganas and 232 in the North.

"The problem is that villagers from near the riverbanks are receiving and stocking relief material. Their land may not yield much in the next few months and they are trying to stock as much food as possible. At the same time, those in remote areas are being deprived. Our swayamsevaks managed to get in touch with some of these villagers and asked them to walk down to the jetties at times when our boats would be in the area. We have already distributed relief material worth Rs 30 lakh in South and North 24-Parganas. Our collection drive will begin on Wednesday and continue till June 20," said Prodyut Kumar Maitra, RSS assistant general secretary, south Bengal.

RSS has received support from a number of NGOs, which do not have the means to carry relief material to remote parts. "Apart from food items, utensils and

Money for Hindutva terror

Indian Express, Nov 19, 2008

Business houses funded terror group, says ATS

Press Trust of India Posted: Nov 19, 2008 at 1749 hrs IST

ATS said that the money was generally collected by a self-styled religious leader hailing from Gujarat.ATS said that the money was generally collected by a self-styled religious leader hailing from Gujarat.

ATS said that the money was generally collected by a self-styled religious leader hailing from Gujarat.

Mumbai, November 19: : The probe into how Hindu outfits accused of terrorism had links with some Army men brought a few business houses under the scanner of Maharashtra's ATS and Central Security agencies investigating the finances of the group allegedly responsible for Malegaon blast.

Sources attached with the probe said that a religious leader from Southern Gujarat was one of those who collected funds from the business houses.

Working on the chain of events about finances of the Abhinav Bharat, a little know saffron outfit allegedly involved in the September 29 Malegaon blast that left six people dead, sources said names of some of the business houses in Maharashtra as well as Gujarat cropped up.

A check was being done whether the business houses were aware about the end use of funds. "We have questioned some of them and we are working to ascertain as to how much of money had been handed over to the saffron outfit," a senior probe official said on the condition of anonymity.

The names of the business houses were not divulged for security reasons.

The money was generally collected by a self-styled religious leader hailing from Gujarat and efforts to seek his custody had not fructified so far, they said.

Scam at South Asia's Most Popular Sufi Shrine

Scam at South Asia's Most Popular Sufi Shrine

by Yoginder Sikand

The shrine of the renowned twelfth century Chishti mystic Hazrat Khwaja Moinduddin Chishti in Ajmer in the Indian state of Rajasthan is one of the most renowned and revered Sufi dargahs in all of South Asia. Every year, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims—Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs—visit the shrine. Donations to the shrine from pilgrims run into several million rupees annually. This precisely is the cause for a raging controversy involving leading members of the Dargah Committee and a group of Muslim social activists who have recently issued a report on the alleged financial bungling and mismanagement at the shrine. The seven-member group constituted an inquiry committee after the Ministry of Minority Affairs received what the committee says were 'hundreds of complaints' as well as a Public Interest Litigation filed by an NGO in the Delhi High Court about financial misdoings at the shrine.

Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti is known for having led a simple and austere life. He is said to have donated to the poor whatever he received from people who came to visit him. For this he earned the sobriquet Gharib Nawaz or 'helper of the poor'. This, the report says, is in complete contrast to what several members of the committee appointed to manage his shrine are today up to. As any visitor to the shrine will attest, for many custodians of the shrine their work is actually a flourishing business, pestering pilgrims for donations the moment they step inside the precincts of the dargah.

The inquiry committee report relates numerous instances of financial mismanagement at the shrine. It refers to allegations against the President of the Dargah Committee, Peerzada Shibli Qasim, who has been accused of corruption relating to collection of donations in the name of the shrine and of misusing the dargah's guesthouse for his family. He is also alleged of allowing a liquor shop to continue to function in the premises of the Dargah Committee. Interestingly, four of his colleagues in the Dargah Committee, Mansoor Ali Lalli, Shaukat Ali Ansari, Abdul Wahid and Kadar Bhai Wadiwala, lodged a complaint last year accusing him of having filed a writ petition in the Rajasthan High Court without their consent against the Ministry of Minority Affairs for allegedly not taking the permission of the Dargah Committee for the appointment of the Nazim of manager. For that the amount settled by the lawyer was Rs. 34,600, of which he is said to have taken took Rs. 15,000/- in advance. The four members wanted that this amount be recovered from Qasim. Qasim also claims that he has been running a dargah school till, but he has not disclosed the exact amount spent on this as per the Act 36 of the Dargah Act of 1955.

According to the report, Abdul Aleem, the deputy manager or Naib Nazim of the Dargah Committee, is alleged to have consistently issued money to various members of the Committee 'in a manner most unprofessional' and 'without proper vouchers or stamped papers'. He claims to be engaged in social work by running a computer centre, a school and a langar or free community kitchen, but, the report says, he did not divulge the budget for these activities. Allegations have also been leveled against him of permitting the khuddam or traditional custodians of the shrine to encroach on the dargah premises, including in the main courtyard of the shrine.

Shaukat Ali Ansari, proprietor of a gun-manufacturing factory, is another member of the Dargah Committee. The inquiry committee found that he has been occupying a flat in the dargah for more than a year, where he has arranged for the sons of his friend to stay, without clearing the dues. The committee also found that 'he had no answer to the heaps of pages written against his scams at the Waqf Board or concerning the dargah' except denying these charges. Thus, for instance, Babu Lal Singharia, ex-M.L.A. from Kekdi, claims that Ansari had appropriated more some 1.7 lakh rupees. Jas Raj, President of the Ajmer District Congress Committee and former M.L.A., accused Ansari of having 'illegally grabbed the chairmanship of Rajasthan Waqf Board' and 'frittering away the Waqf land, including many graveyards'. The report mentions Haji Qayyum Khan, former M.L.A., who has alleged that Ansari 'has regularly been misappropriating Waqf Board funds'. These include withdrawal of a fixed deposit of a whopping sum of almost 20 lakh rupees, leasing Waqf property at the Imambara in Mount Abu by taking fifteen lakh rupees as bribe and parting with two lakh rupees for election purposes. Haji Qayyum Khan has also leveled charges against Ansari for the death of six persons. The President of the All-India Jamaat-e Qureish, Fazl-e-Karim Qureshi, refers to 'umpteen cases of misappropriation of funds' while Ansari served as Chairman of the Rajasthan Waqf Board between 1991 and 1998, including having allegedly taken some 22 lakh rupees from workers for their appointment.

The inquiry committee raises questions regarding Dargah Committee member Abdul Kadir Wadiwala, who has been accused by Jas Raj, ex-MLA, of misusing a sum of more than 1.75 lakh rupees and of not paying rent for the guest house of the dargah for almost six years. The Muslim Ekta Manch , a local civil society organization, has claimed that that Wadiwala has collected several lakh rupees in the name of the dargah, which he has invested in his own business.

The Inquiry Committee refers to 'bundles of papers of complaints' against another member of the Dargah Committee, Mansoor Ali Lalli, accusing him of gross manipulation of funds. For instance, he is said to have spent more than fifty thousand rupees on food and tea on himself and his family at the dargah's restaurant. He is also said to have charged more than forty thousand rupees by way of traveling and dearness allowance without submitting any vouchers and to have collected money from donors for the decoration of the dargah but failing to pay this into the dargah's account. Another charge is that he has collected money from outside donors as well as a sum of almost sixty thousand rupees from the Dargah Committee for organizing a poetry recitation function or mushaira, although the Dargah Act of 1955 does not provide for allotment of money for this purpose.

Abdul Bari Chishti, another member of the Dargah Committee, has been accused by the Inquiry Committee on account of collection of donations in the name of the dargah and of misusing the shrine's guest for personal purposes. He has been also alleged to have let out dargah premises to people for less than the assessed market rate and of using vehicles belonging to the shrine for his personal use.

The report alleges political interference in appointments to the Dargah Committee. One such case relates to Mr. Wahid, Ajmer District BJP President, a tenant of the dargah, who, while 'erratic and irregular' in paying his rent, was allegedly able to become a member of the Committee through the influence of a BJP Minister, Satyanarayan Jatiya. Wahid has been accused of being involved in changing the rentals of Dargah Committee properties and of occupying some shops in the Dargah Committee complex but failing to regularly pay rent.

Based on the evidence that it claims to have collected, the Inquiry Committee concludes its report by asserting that the presence of unscrupulous people in the Dargah Committee would 'jeopardise and tarnish' the image of South Asia's most popular Sufi shrine. Similar charges could be leveled against numerous other popular religious establishments and pilgrimage centres across India, irrespective of religious affiliation. The report 's damning indictment suggests the need for greater involvement of public interest and civil society groups in overseeing the running of such places, which, in the name of serving religious causes, are also being used to promote the personal interests of their custodians.

Money launderer leads Ram temple trust

CNN-IBN
Posted Sunday , May 06, 2007 at 11:05


IN THE NAME OF TRUST: Vedanti Maharaj uses Ram temple Trust for money laundering racket.

CNN-IBN Investigations

New Delhi Thousands of Ram temple believers have put in their trust in this God man. They feel he will realise their vision of a Ram temple.

Cobrapost and CNN-IBN Special Investigation reveals that he is just a common criminal running a very clever money laundering racket.

Meet Vedanti Maharaj - chairman of the Ramjanmabhoomi Trust in Ayodhya. A man who says he has no worldly pursuits but this Godman is lying.

Vedanti Maharaj: What percentage will I get?

CNN-IBN: Whatever you want.

Vedanti Maharaj: No, you need to tell me what I will get. Suppose you convert Rs 5 crore how much would I get?

Vedanti Maharaj has mastered the art of persuasion not just at his Ayodhya rallies, but also behind closed doors.

Vedanti Maharaj: How much will I get?

CNN-IBN:Rs 1.5 crore.

Vedanti Maharaj: Ask for Rs 3 crore instead, and give me Rs 2 crore.

CNN-IBN:No, we need to keep a margin.

Vedanti Maharaj: Alright, you will need to give a discount.

The Baba cheats the government of crore in taxes with impunity.

Maharaj says, "I do not need permission to use my Trust's funds. Let me consult my CA. Come to Ayodhya and I will get everything done there.”

Operating like a master criminal, Vedanti Mahraj launders black money for a commission, by issuing fake bills and receipts through his lesser-known Matri Sewa Trust.

CNN-IBN: Do you head the Ramjanmabhoomi Trust?

Vedanti Maharaj: Yes but if we put your money in the Ramjanambhoomi Trust it can't be recovered.

Vedanti Maharaj s aide: Not a single penny. You will need detailed accounts for that.

Vedanti Maharaj: Because its an international Trust.

CNN-IBN: Ramjanmabhoomi Trust?

Vedanti Maharaj: No the IB and CBI keep a watch on this Trust.

CNN-IBN: But your Trust is free of problems?

Vedanti Maharaj: No I made the Matri Sewa Trust for this purpose.

Using the promise of a Ram Mandir to keep the masses hooked, money laundering and tax evasion is what this man is actually all about.

UK: Temple's alleged links to Tamil Tigers

BBC News
3 May 2007

Temple's alleged links to rebels
Negendram Seevaratnam
Mr Seevaratnam has been suspended during the inquiry
A document leaked to BBC London has revealed that a Hindu temple in south London may have possible links to a rebel organisation.

The Armulmihu Hindu temple in Tooting has had its assets frozen pending an investigation into alleged links with the UK banned Tamil Tigers.

The temple's founder has been suspended during the investigation.

However temple members fear children in Sri Lanka who rely on their aid will die as a result of the ban.


If I am not associated, how can I disassociate?
Negendram Seevaratnam, the temple's founder

Organisers say the temple raises nearly £500,000 each year, some of which goes to help orphans in Sri Lanka following the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.

But the government has suspended the temple's founder, Negendram Seevaratnam, because it alleges he failed to disassociate himself from the banned group.

Mr Seevaratnam said: "When you say 'disassociate yourself', there's a presumption that I was already associated. Now if I am not associated, how can I disassociate?"

The Tamil Tigers have been a banned organisation in the UK since 2001 because of what UK authorities believe are its links to terrorism.

The Tigers are fighting for a separate homeland in the north and east of Sri Lanka.

Ministers said they would not comment on the investigation into the Hindu temple as it was ongoing.

Beware of Funding Hate -Press Release by Awaaz South Asia

AWAAZ - SOUTH ASIA WATCH

PRESS RELEASE: Wednesday, January 05, 2005
ENQUIRIES TO: contact@awaazsaw.org
http://www.awaazsaw.org

HELP RECONSTRUCT LIVES & COMMUNITIES
BEWARE OF FUNDING HATE

The death toll from the deadly tsunami which has affected several Asian countries has now crossed 150,000; hundreds of thousands more people and communities have been devastated by the loss of families, friends, homes and property. Numerous dedicated volunteers and organizations have come together to organize relief and rehabilitation. Awaaz - South Asia Watch strongly supports these efforts and urges all generous individuals and organizations in the UK to continue to support these initiatives even after the media coverage inevitably decreases. The greatest need is for immediate relief followed by rehabilitation and the restoration of livelihoods - to provide people with the means to get back on their own feet.

To ensure that their well-intended donations do not fall into the wrong hands, Awaaz urges donors to channel their contributions through organizations with established secular, humanitarian and non-violent credentials. Unfortunately, there are a small handful of self-interested and chauvinist groups associated with religious fundamentalism in these regions that will make use of this disaster to expand their networks and cultivate religious and sectarian hatred. Some of these groups have powerful front organizations in the UK. Even if their appeals today sound well-meaning, the longer term consequences of the activities of religious fundamentalist groups are the same: fundamentalism creates strife between communities, polarizes societies, and foments hatred and large-scale violence.

BEWARE OF FUNDING SECTARIAN HATRED

We have been asked by numerous supporters in the UK about which charities they should donate money to. Supporters have expressed concerns that money they donate does not aid the expansion of extremist Hindutva organizations in India or extremist Islamist organizations in Indonesia, Malaysia or elsewhere. The following UK organizations have been or currently are under investigation by the Charity Commission.

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS UK)
Sewa International (SI UK)
Vishwa Hindu Parishad UK (VHP UK)

Sewa International UK / Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh UK are currently under investigation by the Charity Commission in relation to the funds raised in the UK following the Gujarat Earthquake in 2001. Sewa International UK and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad UK are also leading members of the ëdisaster relief task forceí recently launched by the Hindu Forum UK. Sewa International UK, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh UK and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad UK are all associated with a violent, fascistic, anti-minority Indian organization, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The RSS or its affiliates have been repeatedly implicated by numerous independent national and international human rights groups for involvement in violence and the promotion of hatred, including the anti-Muslim Gujarat pogroms in 2002 and the anti-Christian violence in 1998-2000. Following both the Orissa supercyclone in 1999 and the Gujarat earthquake in 2001, RSS front organizations expanded their activities considerably in these two
states. Awaaz believes that the tsunami disaster provides an important opportunity for the RSS to expand its activities in southern Indian states, including Tamil Nadu, areas where it has had relatively limited success. For further information, see http://www.awaazsaw.org and http://www.stopfundinghate.org. 

HOW TO DONATE

We urge you to donate to neutral, humanitarian, non-sectarian organizations.

DONATING FROM THE UK

DISASTERS EMERGENCY COMMITTEE (DEC)
Donate online at: http://www.dec.org.uk/
or call: 0870 60 60 900

OXFAM
Donate online at: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/
or call: 0870 333 2700

BRITISH RED CROSS
Donate online at: http://www.redcross.org.uk/
or call: 08705 125 125

ACTIONAID
Donate online at: http://www.actionaid.org.uk/
or call: 01460 238 023

UNICEF ASIA EARTHQUAKE CHILDRENíS EMERGENCY APPEAL
Donate online at: http://www.unicef.org.uk/asiaearthquake
or call: 08457 312 312

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS / RED CRESCENT
http://www.ifrc.org/index.asp (Main)
http://www.redcross.org.sg/press_bayofbengal_appeal.htm (Singapore)
http://www.indianredcross.org (India)
http://redcrescent.org.my/campaigns/donate.html (Malaysia)
http://www.redcross.or.th/english/home/index (Thailand)

ACTIONAID
http://www.actionaid.org.uk

UNICEF
http://www.unicef.org

SAVE THE CHILDREN
http://www.savethechildren.org

DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS/MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/index.shtml

OXFAM
http://www.oxfam.org.uk

ARCHITECTURE FOR HUMANITY
http://www.architectureforhumanity.org

DONATING DIRECTLY TO INDIAN ORGANIZATIONS

There are a very large number of humanitarian, secular and non-sectarian organizations in India currently providing relief and rehabilitation in the affected areas. The appeals Awaaz receives are regularly posted at http://www.awaazsaw.org/weblog/awaaz_wlog.html. Note that some Indian organizations are registered to receive funds from abroad, others are not - check with individual organizations before sending donations.

PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANY MONEY TO AWAAZ

ABOUT AWAAZ - SOUTH ASIA WATCH

AWAAZ - SOUTH ASIA WATCH is a UK-based secular network of individuals and organisations committed to monitoring and combating religious hatred in South Asia and in the UK.

Awaaz was established following the violence and killings of Indian citizens, mainly Muslims, in the state of Gujarat after February 2002. The Gujarat carnage was a turning point in the recent history of India and showed how genocidal Hindutva forces have established a firm hold on many aspects of Indian society.

Awaaz campaigns against religious fundamentalist control of the state, civil society, political life and personal freedoms. Awaaz campaigns for secular democratic state institutions and civil life where all citizens have the right to live in peace and security and fully participate in the political and civil process and decision-making.

Awaaz stands for peaceful resolution of problems between South Asian countries, opposes violation of human rights, and opposes discrimination based on caste, gender, religion, region, ethnicity, race, sexuality and other factors. Awaaz unreservedly condemns the political use of religion to attack individuals and minorities including Muslims in India, Christians and dalits across South Asia, Hindus in Bangladesh and Shias and Ahmaddis in Pakistan.

Awaaz - South Asia Watch is supported by leading civil rights and community organisations in the UK and abroad, including Aaj Kay Naam, Asian Women's Refuge, Friends of India / All India Christian Council (UK), Cambridge South Asia Forum, Campaign Against Racism and Fascism (CARF), Council of Indian Muslims (UK), Dalit Forum for Social Justice (UK), India Forum, Indian Muslim Federation (UK), Indian Workers Association (GB), National Civil Rights Movement (NCRM), Oxford South Asia Forum, Peopleís Unity, Southall Black Sisters, Peopleís Empowerment Alliance, Southall Monitoring Group, Women Against Fundamentalism and many more. Active members include Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Muslims, Christians and people of no faith.

AWAAZ - South Asia Watch
PO Box 304
Southall
Middlesex
UB2 5YR
UK
Email: contact@awaazsaw.org

CSFH Urges Responsible Giving in the Wake of Tsunami Tragedy

[January 2, 2004]

GIVE WELL, GIVE WISELY!
CSFH Urges Responsible Giving in the Wake of Tsunami Tragedy

Friends,

It is time to give and give generously. As the death toll climbs past
150,000 and the world comes to grips with the devastation caused by the
deadly Indian Ocean tsunamis, numerous organizations across Asia are
stepping up to organize relief and rehabilitation. We at the Campaign to
Stop Funding Hate (CSFH) urge all individuals in the U.S. and elsewhere
to support them by donating generously.

However, our responsibility does not end with giving. It is also our
combined responsibility to ensure that our funds do not end up in
sectarian hands, and that this tragedy does not turn into another
opportunity for communal groups to gain foothold in our plural society.

KEEPING ACCOUNTABILITY, SOCIAL JUSTICE ON THE AGENDA

The response to the tsunami tragedy in the US has been heartening, with
hundreds of dedicated volunteers making enormous effort to raise
resources for relief operations in India and elsewhere. Many of these
groups have a long history of carrying out grass-roots, non-sectarian
development work in India, and have been able to effectively mobilize
their networks at this time to administer relief. They can be counted
upon for working closely with affected communities in a transparent and
accountable manner. The immense loss of life in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and
Thailand, makes it incumbent on us to consider giving to our suffering
Asian neighbors, either through transnational organizations or through
informal networks of local community-based organizations. (See below
for a partial list of such organizations).

Many of us are also members of a variety of linguistic, regional and
cultural associations. Because of their social and cultural affinities,
such organizations are well equipped to intervene in on the ground
activities. Precisely because of these reasons, sectarian groups try to
use them as vehicles to advance their own agendas. We therefore urge you
all to not only take an active part in the fund raising activities of
these organizations but also be involved in discussions on how and where
the funds are to be used. Disasters of this kind are occasions when we
should be on high alert to keep social justice at the top of the agenda.

STAY CLEAR OF SECTARIAN GROUPS SUCH AS IDRF, HSS, SEVA INTERNATIONAL AND
VHPA

Please remember the lessons of past natural calamities: Latur earthquake
in 1993, Orissa cyclone in 1999 and the massive earthquake that shook
Gujarat in 2001. Sectarian groups in the guise of non profits have
swooped in on these areas engulfed in tragedy (funded in large part by
unsuspecting donors in the US) and established their presence in the
grief-stricken communities on the pretext of providing relief. Not only
did this lead to unequal disbursement of relief among various
communities, but it also caused further fracturing of these struggling
communities along lines of caste and religion.

This time too, the India Development and Relief Fund (IDRF), Hindu
Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS), Sewa International and Vishwa Hindu
Parishad-America (VHPA) have all put out appeals for Tsunami relief.
CSFH has done extensive research on these groups and traced their
linkages to the parent organization in India: the violent and
anti-minority Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). (See
http://www.stopfundinghate.org for details.) Affiliates of this
organization have been implicated by numerous national and international
human rights groups as having engineered the anti-Muslim Gujarat pogroms
in 2002 and the anti-Christian violence in 1998-2000. RSS itself is a
secretive organization, openly sectarian in its operations, and is not
legally permitted by the Government of India to accept funds from
abroad; consequently, its US affiliates (IDRF, HSS etc.) are raising
funds for organizations like Sewa Bharati, Jana Sankshema Samiti and
Vivekananda Kendra in India, all of which are intrinsic parts of RSS
operations in India and follow its divisive ideology.

We urge everyone to make the responsible choice in favor of supporting
secular groups with a long-standing commitment to the pluralistic ethos
and democratic ideals of India. On our part, we are following up on our
work of the past several years some of which is documented at
http://www.stopfundinghate.org . We will be happy to assist you with any
information and would really appreciate it if you will alert us to the
debates and discussions that you are involved in by emailing us at
info@stopfundinghate.org

We are building a FAQ to be posted on our site and it will be helpful to
know the kinds of questions being raised. Meanwhile, please feel free to
use the list below as a starting point to identify the kind of
organizations that are worthy of support.

Thank you
CSFH (http://www.stopfundinghate.org)

------------------------------------------------------

A partial list of non-sectarian, grassroots groups involved in relief
operations:

1. AID - Association for India’s Development
http://www.aidindia.org/CMS/

2. American India Foundation
http://www.aifoundation.org/

3. Asha For Education
http://www.ashanet.org/

4. India Literacy Project
http://www.ilpnet.org/news/Tsunami/index.html

5. India Relief and Education Fund
http://iref.homestead.com/

6. Indians for Collective Action
http://www.icaonline.org/

7. Pratham
http://www.prathamusa.org/

8. Singh Foundation
http://singhfoundation.org

9. Vibha
http://www.vibha.org/emergencyrelief/

These groups are partnering with various mass-based organizations and
NGOs in India, such as the Tamil Nadu Science Forum, the National
Fishworkers Forum, Vidyarambam, APVVU (agricultural workers’ union in
AP), People's Watch, Bharathi Trust and Bhoomika Trust.

Among international organizations, Doctors Without Borders is reputed to
be the most committed and experienced with meeting disasters with
professional expertise. http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org

The International Red Cross has country specific operations which may be
accessed and supported through the following links:

Sri Lanka: http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/sri_lanka!Open
Indonesia: http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/indonesia!Open
Thailand: http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/thailand!Open

Additionally, we urge you to also spread the word about the Red Cross's
'Family Links' initiative which helps locate separated family members
throughout the affected region. You can find out more about this from
http://www.icrc.org/home.nsf/home/webfamilylinks