Govt, Opposition set to face off in Lok Sabha over FCRA amendment bill

The bill proposes to take over assets created using foreign funds if an entity allowed to collect such donations gets its licence cancelled, ceased or suspended.

New Delhi: The government and the Opposition are gearing up for a confrontation in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday over a contentious bill to allow authorities to take over assets created using foreign funds, with the ruling BJP accusing its opponents of spreading “rumours” and the Congress vowing not to allow “bulldozing” of the proposed law at any cost.

The Foreign Contribution Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2026 — which proposes to  take over assets created using foreign funds if an entity allowed to collect such donations gets its licence cancelled, ceased  or suspended — is scheduled for passage in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, a move that has put the BJP in poll-bound Kerala on the backfoot where it is wooing Christian voters.

Raising the pitch, the Congress has asked its MPs, who are engaged in election campaigns in States, to rush to Delhi to be present in the Lok Sabha when the bill is taken up. They have also been asked to be part of a protest in the Parliament House at 10:30 am before the session commences.

Already, Congress MP Sasikanth Senthil and DMK's T Sumathy have submitted amendments to the bill, seeking to offset the provisions, which the Opposition claims are harsh and arbitrary.

“The BJP is planning to bulldoze the FCRA amendments…in Parliament — at a time when the Congress and many Opposition parties are in the (midst) of an intense election season. This is a blatantly unconstitutional law, which will destroy NGOs and community organisations — especially those run by minority communities," Congress general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal said.

"We will not allow the BJP to armtwist honest philanthropic institutions through this draconian bill...we will not allow this to be passed under any circumstances," he said.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Bill was brought after adequate consultations and accused the Congress and the CPI(M) of spreading "rumours" about the proposed legislation that is aimed to curb the activities of various religious organisations.

"This is completely false, fabricated, and misleading. The bill is intended only to regulate the flow of foreign funding into India and to prevent the misuse of such funds for illegal activities that could harm national security. Certain funds enter the country illegally and are used against the national interest," he told reporters.

The minority organisations, including the church leadership, have raised concerns about the provisions in the bill, which they claimed could hamper their functioning and lead to harassment as the bill proposes to even take over assets, which have foreign donation component even if it is meagre. Rijiju maintained that it is not aimed at Christian or any other religious groups.

The amendment by Senthil, Tiruvallur MP, seeks cancellation or denial of licence to collect foreign funds only after prior notice as well as only after providing opportunity for hearing and right to appeal in a court.

The amendment by Sumathy seeks to ensure that assets created out of foreign funds are not vested in a designated authority automatically. She wants a reasonable opportunity for the affected entity to be heard before the assets created using foreign funds as also a reasoned order recorded in writing.

Sumathy has also demanded that disposal of assets taken over by designated authority should be carried out only after placing a report in Parliament and with the State government concerned. 

She also wants a change in the provision where any investigation into foreign funds and its usage needed prior Union government permission and suggested that prior approval of judicial authority not below the rank of a sessions judge.