KC Venugopal flags ‘rushed’ review of FCRA amendment bill

Congress MP KC Venugopal | Photo credit: ANI

Accusing the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) scrutinizing the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 of rushing through negotiations without proper consultation with stakeholders, Congress General Secretary (Organization) KC Venugopal, in a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, urged that the bill not come back to the floor of the House until a comprehensive review is completed House of Commons.

The FCRA Amendment Bill, 2026 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 25 March 2026 and was subsequently referred to the 31-member JPC on 12 August following objections from opposition parties who were content that some provisions of the legislation were aimed at restricting the functioning of minority-led institutions.

In particular, the opposition pointed to provisions that allowed the transfer of an organization’s funds and assets to a government-designated body if FCRA registration was canceled or not renewed as particularly troubling and unconstitutional. Instead, reaching a compromise, the government agreed to send the bill to the JPC.

The decision to refer the bill to the JPC brought a clear expectation that the committee would hear from a wide range of stakeholders, including NGOs, charitable and religious institutions, voluntary organisations, legal experts and state governments, before finalizing its recommendations, Mr Venugopal said.

“Its purpose is to hear from all stakeholders – NGOs, charitable institutions, religious bodies, voluntary organisations, legal experts and the state government – and present a well thought out and flawless bill to the House,” he said in the letter.

But he claimed that “no meaningful consultation” was taking place with stakeholders and that there was an intention to secure the passage of the bill during the upcoming winter session of Parliament. An earlier letter signed by the panel’s 12 opposition MPs flagged the same concern.

He wrote to the Hon’ble Lok Sabha Speaker regarding the problematic functioning of the JPC on the FCRA (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

As is well known, this is a highly sensitive bill with wide-ranging implications for the constitutional rights of minorities and civil society groups. The… pic.twitter.com/UpvfuDIC7K

— KC Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) October 1, 2026

“If that is the case, it would defeat the very purpose for which the House referred the bill to the committee and reduce an important parliamentary process to a mere formality,” Mr Venugopal said, calling on the Speaker as “a steward of the House and its committees” to ensure that the panel conducts a comprehensive consultation exercise before submitting its report.

The Congress Speaker urged the Speaker to ensure that the Committee invited written memoranda through public notice and heard oral evidence from all concerned stakeholders. He also appealed for the committee to be given reasonable time rather than being bound by an “accelerated timeline”. Members should have full opportunity to discuss clause by clause and “The Bill is not passed in the House until the committee completes a real and comprehensive examination,” Mr. Venugopal further said.

Published – 01 Oct 2026 15:16 IST