Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju have been reaching out to Opposition members and religious groups to build a consensus on the contentious aspects of the draft legislation
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The government is likely to initiate discussions on the controversial Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, on August 12 in Parliament and seek its passage through both Houses before the monsoon session comes to an end the following day.Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju have been reaching out to Opposition members and religious groups to build a consensus on the contentious aspects of the draft legislation ahead of initiating discussions on the FCRA Bill in Parliament, with just five working days left before it goes into recess.The Bill to amend the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), which governs the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contributions by individuals, associations and companies in India, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25, 2026.Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma, who led a delegation, met Amit Shah in Parliament on Thursday to press for their six demands to amend contentious provisions of the Bill, including that it will be applicable retrospectively and that a government entity is proposed to become the custodian of an NGO if its FCRA licence is revoked. He also said that the Home Ministry, which has drafted the Bill, will seek discussions on the Bill in Parliament on August 12.“We raised six issues with him. Out of those, he (Amit Shah) assured me that this bill will not have a retrospective effect. As for the remaining points we raised, he said he would respond to them in writing and send us his comments. Only after we receive that reply will we have a clear picture,” said Lalduhoma.Shah had also assured a delegation of Catholic church leaders he met earlier that the bill would not apply retrospectively. This is part of the consultations the Minister has been having with leaders and CMs from Northeastern states and religious leaders since the bill was introduced in Parliament.Shah has tried to allay fears that the bill was anti-Christian, as he gave figures during one of the meetings that of the total ₹17,000 crore that came into the country in foreign donations, only ₹3,000 crore was meant for Christian bodies.On Wednesday, Shah separately again met a delegation of top representatives of the Church.Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had also broached the issue with the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, during their meeting on Wednesday.Shah may reply to the debate or intervene in the discussion if the bill is taken up by Parliament, since the government does not want to pass it in the din given the global attention towards the legislation to curtail misuse of funding. Riley Moore, a Republican congressman from West Virginia, US, publicly criticised the bill, calling it a “clear attack against Christians”. Congressman Moore alleged in a post on X that the proposed FCRA amendments would allow the Indian government to control or take over foreign-funded churches and religious charities and warned that if passed in its current form, it could strain US–India bilateral relations.Religious groups are strongly opposing a key FCRA amendment that allows a “designated authority” to take control of foreign funds and assets when an organisation’s registration lapses, is cancelled, or is surrendered. Although organisations can reclaim their assets by restoring their licence within the prescribed window, missing the deadline means permanent government forfeiture.The government has stated that the proposed amendments are aimed at addressing operational gaps in the existing FCRA framework and at strengthening the management and oversight of foreign contributions and assets.Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said there is no proposal to extend the dates of the monsoon session or no special session is envisaged from August 16 to August 18 on women’s reservation and delimitation bills.Published on August 6, 2026
