KOCHI: BJP state vice-president Shone George met Major Archbishop of Syro-Malabar Church Mar Raphael Thattil on Monday as he looked to assuage the Church’s concerns over the proposed amendment to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA).
The meeting at Mount St Thomas, the Church’s headquarters in Kakkanad, discussed various topics, including the FCRA and the recently-concluded assembly elections, the BJP leader told TNIE.
“The Church has expressed concerns on the FCRA Amendment Bill, and I met with the major archbishop to allay the fears. It was decided to arrange a meeting of a delegation comprising representatives of the Syro Malabar Church, Kerala Catholic Bishop Council (KCBC) and the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) with the Prime Minister,” Shone said. He said another meeting of the delegation will be arranged with Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju. “The meetings will take place before the end of April,” Shone said.
Interacting with reporters, Shone said the one big concern continuously raised by the Church has been Section 15(1) of the FCRA. “It should be noted that the UPA government brought this clause under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the FCRA Amendment Act 2010. It is not new. Where were people like Kodikunnil Suresh, Jose K Mani, K C Venugopal and others, who are raising their voices against the latest Bill in Parliament, when this amendment was passed in 2010? Couldn’t they raise voices then,” asked Shone. He said FCRA is not a religious law.
“The Bill doesn’t target Christians. It applies to all religious entities. I would like to point out that the Bill was made by the Congress. Where were the eight Union ministers from Kerala when it was passed,” Shone asked.