New Delhi, Aug 12: The Lok Sabha on Wednesday sent the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, to a 31-member joint committee of Parliament amid protests by opposition parties, which alleged that the proposed law targets minorities and NGOs and demanded its withdrawal.
The government rejected the charge and challenged the opposition parties to identify even one provision that discriminates against minorities.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Congress and other opposition parties had themselves demanded that the Bill be referred to a House committee for detailed scrutiny and alleged that a campaign was being run to mislead certain communities.
The motion to refer the Bill to the joint committee was 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.
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.
The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25 and proposes tighter government oversight over non-governmental organisations and foreign funding in the country.
“This legislation is clearly for targeting the NGOs and minority institutions which are doing good work,” Congress MP K C Venugopal said.
“On the one side, the RSS is getting complete donations from foreign countries, while on the other side, the government is trying to target minorities and NGOs. The government should withdraw this Bill. We demand the withdrawal of this Bill,” Venugopal said.
Rijiju, who is also the Union Minister of Minority Affairs, rejected the allegations and said the opposition can raise their reservations before the joint committee.
“If they have any reservations about the Bill, they can speak in the JPC. This is not targeted at any minority community,” he said.
The minister said the Congress and other opposition parties had themselves demanded that the Bill be referred to a House committee for detailed scrutiny.
Later, responding to Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav’s assertion that the Bill was against minorities, Rijiju challenged Yadav to point out any provision in the proposed legislation that was against minorities and said he was making the claim with “responsibility”.
“I challenge Akhilesh ji to show one provision which is against minorities. Lies are being spread in the country. This country is not a banana republic. There should be rules and regulations as per the spirit of the Constitution. There is not a single provision in the proposed FCRA Bill targeting any minority institution,” Rijiju said.
He asserted that the government would ensure that no provision in the Bill was against any minority community. “This is for the well-being and the security of every community of India,” Rijiju said.
BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, who was in the Chair, said the government had agreed to the demand of referring the legislation to a joint parliamentary committee and there would be a “threadbare discussion” on it.
Akhilesh Yadav said the entire Opposition was against the Bill and took a dig at Shah for not being present in the House.
Referring to Rijiju’s assertion that the proposed legislation was not against minorities, Yadav said, “He should clarify which bill they brought till date was not against minorities.”
DMK MP T R Baalu also demanded that the Bill be withdrawn.
The 31-member joint committee will comprise 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. The Lok Sabha members will be nominated by Speaker Om Birla, while those from the Rajya Sabha will be nominated by Chairman C P Radhakrishnan.
The Bill seeks to create a designated authority to manage and dispose of assets if an organisation loses its FCRA licence.
Opposition parties have alleged that certain provisions of the Bill could affect legitimate foreign funding for Christian NGOs and minority-run social welfare and educational institutions.
The government has maintained that the proposed legislation is not religion-specific and is aimed at regulating foreign contributions.
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.
The Bill had also drawn criticism from some US lawmakers, who expressed concerns over its potential impact on Christian organisations and civil society groups. India had rejected the criticism, describing the proposed changes as an internal legislative matter.
The Rajya Sabha also adopted a motion to refer the bill to the joint committee of Parliament.
The motion, moved by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, was adopted by voice vote in the Upper House.
