Centre selectively targetting NGOs: Louise Khurshid

New Delhi: Louise Khurshid, wife of Congress leader Salman Khurshid, today accused the Narendra Modi government of “political vendetta”, a day after Union social justice ministry referred a case against her NGO to the law ministry for a CBI probe. Hitting back at the ministry, Louise who runs the Dr Zakir Husain Memorial Trust, said she welcomes a CBI probe but wondered why no action is being taken against 93 NGOs “blacklisted” by the ministry.[caption id=“attachment_1717389” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Louise Khurshid. AFP[/caption] “Five of these states are from the Minister’s (Social Justice Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot) home state of Madhya Pradesh and 33 are from the Prime Minister’s recently adopted state of Uttar Pardesh,” she said giving documents relating to the “blacklisted” NGOs. Ghelot had told journalists yesterday that his ministry has referred a case against “an NGO in Uttar Pradesh which is associated with a politician” for a CBI probe against alleged fudging of documents to swindle funds allocated for the welfare of differently-abled persons. When a reporter asked him whether he was referring to the NGO associated with Khurshid, the minister preferred not to name the NGO or the politician against whom the ministry has recommended for a probe. Asked what will happen if the CBI picks up the case, she said, “The Ministry has sought Law Ministry’s opinion. We don’t have anything to worry about CBI. We have submitted all our documents to the Ministry”. Told by a journalist that the ministry has said that her NGO might be blacklisted, she said, “There is law in this land. No one can blacklist any NGO without legal reasons. If they do so, I will approach the Court.” “If they do, it will mean that they are selectively targetting. Why no action has been taken against 93 NGOs. An NGO was blacklisted on September 15 but there is no mention of that,” Louise said. PTI