As Secretary of State Marco Rubio prepares to travel to New Delhi to meet Indian leaders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is poised to pass a law that could do lasting damage to the relations between our two countries — but if Indian leaders set the bill aside, it would be a win-win for both countries.
During its “Monsoon Session” from July 21 to August 12, the Indian Parliament is set to consider a bill amending India’s Foreign Contribution Regulation Act. If adopted, the bill would sharply expand the ability of the Indian state to seize the property and assets of groups that receive foreign funding — the vast majority of these being Christian churches and charities, such as hospitals and schools. In effect, the total property of entire churches and dioceses could soon be at risk of being taken over by the Indian state.
The FCRA bill would permit state takeover of assets of foreign-funded groups, such as churches, whose licenses to receive foreign funds lapse, are denied, or are not renewed. In the Indian system, this happens often and for many reasons — usually for minor, technical, or accounting errors. The effect is that, for an error in a single transaction, the entire property of a church, including equipment, land, schools, hospitals, and bank funds, could vest immediately in a government-designated authority, which could then manage, sell, or otherwise dispose of them at will.
