He said civil society organizations often face allegations of working against national interests when funded by Western countries. Therefore, they should work independently considering the historical and socio-cultural contexts of certain localities.
During the question and answer session, Debapriya Bhattacharya said, “Our experiences show that civil society can be more powerful in a political environment. When political forces take their fight for democracy to the streets, they consider civil society as friends. But they see the civil society as an enemy or a rival when they take over the power. Therefore, the political forces should learn the lesson that they will not remain in power forever. When they have to come to the streets again But if they have to return, they will find new friends.”
Sheela Tasneem Haq, senior governance expert at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), moderated the session. Other foreign experts also spoke at the programme.