The Congress party has directed its Members of Parliament (MPs) to urgently reach Delhi and attend the Parliament session, as the FCRA Amendment Bill is likely to be taken up for passage.
Describing the proposed law as ‘completely unconstitutional,’ AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal said on Tuesday that the central government is trying to introduce the bill at a time when MPs from states going to Assembly elections are busy with campaign activities.
A bill to amend the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 25 March, with the government making it clear that individuals engaging in forced religious conversion through foreign funding will not be spared.
Introducing the Bill, the Union Minister of State for Home, Nityanand Rai, had said that the legislation aims to enhance transparency and ensure proper utilisation of funds received from abroad.
‘Would harm NGOs and community organisations’
Venugopal claimed that the Foreign Contribution Regulation Amendment (FCRA) Bill would harm NGOs and community organisations, particularly those run by minority communities.
He said the Congress will not allow the bill to be passed under any circumstances.
The Congress leader also announced that the party will stage a protest outside Parliament at 10.30 AM today, 1 April, against the bill. Venugopal further accused the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP of “attempting to divide” people who are living peacefully and create tensions among them.
He said the bill is the latest example of such efforts.
Venugopal also described the bill as a “threat” hanging over minority communities, saying it is a deliberate attempt to intimidate and control organisations, including Christian institutions in Kerala. He also said the bill contains provisions that would tighten control over voluntary organisations and institutions engaged in social services.
Earlier in the day, Union minister Kiren Rijiju asserted that the FCRA amendment Bill only seeks to stop the use of foreign funding against national security and interests and not to target any religious organisation.
The bill is a threat hanging over minority communities, a deliberate attempt to intimidate.
Speaking to reporters at the BJP headquarters, Rijiju slammed the Congress and Left parties, accusing them of “spreading falsehood” on the proposed amendment to the FCRA.
Their claims about the Bill are “completely false, fabricated and misleading”, the BJP leader added.
Why is the Amendment Bill controversial?
Through the amendment, the government seeks a greater control over foreign-funded assets if organisations that receive funds from overseas sources lose their registration, according to an earlier report in Mint.
The FCRA amendment bill proposes the creation of a “designated authority” that will take charge of foreign contributions and assets created out of such funds in cases where an organisation’s registration is cancelled, surrendered, not renewed, or the entity ceases to exist.
The assets will be initially placed under the authority’s control and may be permanently transferred if the organisation fails to regain registration within a specified period, it noted.
‘Operational, legal gaps in the existing law’
The authority will also have the power to manage these assets and, if required, oversee the activities of such entities in the public interest. It will be responsible for safeguarding and maintaining assets created out of foreign contributions.
As many as 16,000 associations are registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) framework, receiving nearly ₹22,000 crore in foreign contributions annually.
The new amendments aim to address operational and legal gaps in the existing law, particularly in the management of foreign contributions and assets, noting that the absence of a comprehensive framework has led to administrative uncertainty and scope for misuse.
