Won’t pass FCRA bill now: Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Thiruvananthapuram: BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar said central govt would not pass Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) Amendment Bill without addressing the forebodings, including that of churches. Chandrasekhar said he requested Centre for that favour and they responded positively to such a request.

Addressing a news conference here on Wednesday, Chandrasekhar said he had spoken with Union home minister Amit Shah about apprehension over the bill. He said central leadership dismissed the apprehensions as baseless. "I have also communicated the attempts done by LDF and UDF to raise the amendment as a poll issue. I have spoken to representatives of various churches. They do have apprehensions. Bill will be passed only after addressing the apprehensions," BJP state chief said. Chandrasekhar said people in Kerala have three options to pick. They can choose Marxist rule where economy crumbles like Cuba, go for a Congress rule that reeks in corruption or opt for NDA for comprehensive development of the state.

"This is a crucial election that will determine the direction and condition of the state. It is time for people to decide whether comprehensive development of Kerala will be achieved by LDF, UDF or NDA. LDF and UDF, which have alternated power for 70 years, along with BJP-NDA, are contesting the election. Vision presented by BJP-NDA is that given a chance, they will make a developed Kerala possible," he said.

He said Kerala govt was responsible for absence of AIIMS here. "State govt failed to do the basic work, like land acquisition," he said. He said NDA is the only coalition that presented a realistic and forward-looking election manifesto while the other two fronts tried to woo voters with fake and fancy promises.