FCRA Bill sent to JPC amid Opposition protest alleging provisions to boost RSS funding, target minorities

The Centre government’s attempt to reintroduce the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, in the House faced the Opposition’s fury over the allegation that, if enacted, the proposed Bill could adversely affect the work of NGOs run by minorities, while provisions are in place to foster NGOs run by the RSS.

It was later sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on Wednesday (August 12) by a voice vote amid protests demanding the Bill’s withdrawal altogether.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai moved the resolution to refer the Bill to the 31-member JPC in the absence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, as the motion was not included in the day’s original list of business but was added to the supplementary list only minutes before the Lok Sabha was scheduled to reconvene at 2 pm.

The commotion that erupted in the House between the Treasury and Opposition benches following the move saw Congress MP K.C. Venugopal accuse the government of introducing provisions and rules in the Bill to curb the availability of foreign funds for NGOs and minority institutions engaged in charitable and social work, while no such rules were being applied to organisations like the RSS.

“On one hand, the RSS is collecting donations from foreign countries, and on the other, the government is targeting minorities and NGOs,” Venugopal said, demanding that the bill be withdrawn.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju rejected the allegations, arguing that the opposition had itself been pressing for bills to be scrutinised by parliamentary committees. Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, however, questioned whether the government had introduced any legislation that did not, in his view, target minorities.

Defending the Bill, Rijiju challenged the Opposition to show any provision in the Bill that was aimed at any community, accused the Opposition of attempting to mislead sections of society, and said the legislation was intended to strengthen regulatory mechanisms while safeguarding the country’s interests.

Despite continued protests, the motion was put to a voice vote and approved, sending the bill to the JP, which is expected to submit its report on the last day of the first week of the winter session.

The legislation, which was first introduced during the Budget session, had been deferred on April 1 amid opposition from political parties and Christian leaders in Kerala ahead of the Assembly elections.

The proposed amendments seek to empower a designated authority to assume provisional or permanent control over the assets of NGOs whose FCRA licences are cancelled, surrendered, or have lapsed. They also propose timelines for fund utilisation, regulation of assets during suspension, rationalisation of penalties, and prior central government approval before investigations are initiated.