BJP questions NGOs role in NAC, Plan panel

BJP today questioned the government and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi about the role played by some NGOs funded by foreign agencies in policy-making being part of the National Advisory Council (NAC) and the Planning Commission.
Highlighting reports about NGOs funded by foreign agencies, BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman claimed the Ford Foundation has funded NGOs which are occupying very important positions in the NAC of which Sonia Gandhi is the chairperson and the Planning Commission.
"If such NGOs having base in the Planning Commission, which distributes the public and tax payers money to programmes that are implemented all over the country, also sit in the NAC in the planning of Indian public policy, then is very worrying.

"Tell us what role these people have in the making of policy by the NAC which is implemented by the UPA. These are very critical issues and important to understand who was playing what role in the split power centres - one with Sonia Gandhi and the other by Manmohan Singh, and what role these people had in the planning of this country," Sitharaman said.
Posing questions to the UPA government, she said "we would certainly like to hear from the Planning Commission and also from Sonia Gandhi, who is the Chair of the NAC, what exactly these people are there for."

She said it is Sonia Gandhi who "hand picks" people in the NAC.
Targeting Congress, she said BJP would expect a reply as it is time when Congress party is doing everything to "cover up their misdeeds".