The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed a motion to refer 'The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026' to a 31-member joint committee of Parliament for further scrutiny, amid strong Opposition protests and demands for its withdrawal. The motion, moved by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai amid sloganeering by Opposition MPs demanding the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah in the House, provides for a committee comprising 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. The members from the Lok Sabha will be nominated by Speaker Om Birla, while those from the Rajya Sabha will be nominated by Chairman C P Radhakrishnan. The committee has been asked to submit its report to the Lok Sabha by the last day of the first week of the Winter Session of Parliament in 2026.
During the proceedings, Congress MP KC Venugopal said the Opposition had only just received information about sending the bill to a joint committee and alleged that the legislation was aimed at minorities and NGOs. "This is clearly for targeting minorities and NGOs. We demand that the Bill be withdrawn," Venugopal stated. Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav took a dig at Shah for not being present in the House, while DMK MP T R Baalu also demanded that the bill be withdrawn. BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, who was in the chair, said the government had agreed to the demand and therefore there would be a "threadbare discussion" in the joint parliamentary committee. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju rejected the charge, saying the Congress and other Opposition parties had themselves been demanding that the bill be sent to a House committee.
The Bill seeks to create a designated authority to manage and dispose of assets if an organisation loses its FCRA licence, according to PSU Watch reports. The legislation also proposes tighter government oversight on foreign funding in the country. The Bill was originally introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25, 2026, and proposes tighter government oversight on non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and foreign funding in the country. The Business Advisory Committee had previously allotted two hours for 'The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026'; two hours for 'The Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026'; three hours for 'The National Co-operative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026'; and 1.5 hours for 'The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026.
Opposition parties have raised strong objections to the FCRA Bill, alleging that it targets minorities as certain provisions will choke legitimate funding for Christian NGOs and minority-run social welfare and educational institutions. BJD feels the bill could be sent to a joint committee of Parliament for further scrutiny, while DMK also wants the Bill to be withdrawn. Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma had earlier urged the Centre to refer the bill to a joint committee for detailed examination, while Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had also raised concerns over its provisions with the Centre. BJP MP Jagdambika Pal said the government had agreed to the demand and therefore there would be a "threadbare discussion" in the joint parliamentary committee. The government has maintained that the proposed legislation is not religion-specific and is aimed at regulating foreign contributions.
