New Delhi, Apr 1 (PTI) The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill , 2026, triggered sharp political reactions on Wednesday, with the BJP defending the move as necessary for national security and transparency, while the opposition alleged it will curb minority rights and tighten government control over NGOs.
Though the Bill was listed for consideration in Wednesday’s official agenda for the Lok Sabha, it was not taken up for discussion.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju told reporters that the decision was based on legislative priorities and not politics.
“This is not a political issue. Several bills have been introduced, and we take them up depending on the situation and timing. The Andhra Pradesh bill (to declare Amaravati as its capital) was urgent, which is why it was taken up today,” he told reporters in the Parliament House complex.
Rijiju added that the government follows due process in bringing legislation.
“Do not go by what allegations the opposition is making; look at the reality. We function according to rules and bring laws as per requirement. We cannot break rules; we are rule-abiding,” he said.
Defending the amendments to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, BJP MP Dinesh Sharma rejected the opposition’s charge that the Bill targets minorities.
“The government does not differentiate between minorities and majorities as the opposition does. National security is the government’s foremost priority,” he said.
“If foreign funds received by NGOs are used for protests against the government, or for media and social media misinformation, or to promote Naxalism, then it is certainly necessary for the government to impose restrictions in the interest of national security,” Sharma told mediapersons in the Parliament House complex.
BJP MP Ghulam Ali Khatana accused the Congress of marginalising minorities.
“They have pushed minorities to the margins, and now they try to frighten and intimidate them. They want to turn them into a vote bank,” he alleged.
Opposition parties, however, mounted a strong attack on the Bill.
Congress MP Manickam Tagore claimed that opposition unity forced the government to withhold the FCRA Amendment Bill for now, alleging that the move exposed its “double standards”.
“Because of the Congress party’s unity — all MPs from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana — we have shown the power of the opposition. The government came under pressure. Yesterday they listed the Bill, today they have withdrawn it,” he said.
He alleged that the government attempted to appease certain communities but was forced to retreat.
“The government’s double standards in Kerala have been exposed. It wanted to please Christian communities with false promises, but now it has been exposed. Because of our fight, they have withdrawn the Bill from this session,” he said.
Tagore said the opposition will continue to resist the proposed legislation.
“The government has taken a step back, but we will continue to put pressure on them not to disturb those working for the poor, minorities, SCs and STs,” he added.
Earlier, several opposition MPs led by the Congress staged a protest in the Parliament House complex against the Bill and demanded that the proposed legislation be withdrawn.
Subsequently, Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 12 noon amid protest by opposition parties over the Bill.
Congress MP Manish Tewari termed the amendments “unconstitutional”.
“It is arbitrary, malafide, and capricious. It does not measure on the touchstone of constitutionality,” he said.
Another Congress MP Hibi Eden said his party will oppose the Bill, arguing that existing provisions are already stringent.
In a post on X, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the government seeks to exert unwanted control over NGOs and turn them into its “puppets”.
“In fact, this is the undemocratic, hyper-controlling, monopolistic mindset of BJP politics, which seeks to exert unwanted control over NGOs, turn them into its puppets, and, under this pretext, slowly gobble up their properties,” he stated.
Yadav claimed that the government has failed to do anything for marginalised communities and is stifling NGOs so that it does not look bad.
He asked the government to clarify its stand on “that vast illicit wealth being smuggled out illegally”, and added that “the public will shut down the BJP’s ATM of partisanship”.
“The BJP’s malice and dishonesty form the foundation of every one of its bills,” he added.
SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav said the government’s legislative approach has not benefited common people.
“Whatever bills this government brings will be against the people of the country. All the bills introduced so far have either favoured some capitalists or served the interests of certain groups, but not a single bill has benefited the common people to date,” he alleged.
SP MP Dimple Yadav alleged that the Bill is aimed at tightening control over institutions.
“I believe that through this, the government is trying to tighten its grip on institutions that are doing good work. What is being done is not democratic,” she said.
The Bill to amend the FCRA was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25, with the government making it clear that individuals engaging in forced religious conversion through foreign funding will not be spared.
On Tuesday, Union minister 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. PTI ADI ADI KVK KVK
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