MK Stalin at Nagercoil rally

New Delhi: Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu mk stalinWhile campaigning before the state assembly elections, he criticized the proposed amendment of the central government on Saturday. Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), alleging that it targets minorities, especially Christians.Read this also ‘Anxiety among minorities’: Shashi Tharoor questions FCRA amendment billfcra bill could not be picked up For discussion in the Lok Sabha due to opposition. The BJP-led Center has defended the law, with Union Minister Kiren Rijiju insisting that it is aimed at protecting national security and is not targeted at any particular religion.Addressing an election rally in Nagercoil, Stalin called the FCRA bill an “attack on religious freedom”.“The FCRA bill is harsh. It targets minorities, especially Christian organisations. If passed, recognition of Christian NGOs could be canceled and their funding taken away even for minor defaults,” PTI quoted him as saying.The DMK supremo said, “This bill amounts to snatching away the rights guaranteed by the Constitution, and is also a serious attack on freedom of religion and on those who want to serve society. SCs, STs and the rural poor will be most affected.”Stalin also claimed that he was the first to condemn the proposed amendments and said that he written Urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to withdraw this bill.Nagercoil, where Stalin addressed the rally, has a large Christian population. According to the 2011 national census, the city in Kanniyakumari district had a population of 2.24 lakh, of which about 30% are Christians.Meanwhile, Stalin further alleged that the Center has failed to protect Tamil Nadu fishermen and criticized its foreign policy. He also claimed that PM Modi has weakened India’s influence even among smaller neighboring countries.Voting for all 234 assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu is scheduled for April 23, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4. In the 2021 elections, the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance won 159 seats, with the DMK alone winning 133 – well above the majority mark of 118.