No meaningful stakeholder consultation in JPC on FCRA Bill: K.C. Venugopal

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Congress MP K.C. Venugopal | Photo Credit: ANI

Congress MP K.C. Venugopal wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday (October 1, 2026) over the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill (FCRA), flagging concerns that "no meaningful consultation" with stakeholders is taking place and that there is an intention to have the Bill passed hastily in the forthcoming Winter session.

In his letter to Speaker Birla, Mr. Venugopal said if this is so, 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.

He urged the Speaker to ensure that the Committee invites written memoranda through public notice and hears oral evidence from all affected stakeholders.

He called for the Committee to be given adequate time for this exercise, including an extension of its reporting deadline if required, rather than being bound to an accelerated timeline.

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 ramifications on the Constitutional rights of minorities and civil society groups. The… pic.twitter.com/UpvfuDIC7K

Mr. Venugopal said members should have full opportunity for clause-by-clause deliberation, and demanded that the Bill is not taken up in the House until the Committee has completed a genuine and comprehensive examination.

"I write to draw your kind attention to the manner in which the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 is reportedly proceeding, and to seek your intervention as the custodian of this House and its Committees," he said in his letter to Mr. Birla.

The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 25 March 2026, and from the outset all Opposition parties opposed it in one voice, as its provisions are seen as targeting the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and minority institutions of our country - the schools, hospitals, orphanages and charitable bodies that form the backbone of our grassroots developmental and social welfare frameworks, serving people of every faith for generations, he said.

"The relentless weaponisation of the FCRA over the past few years has already led to the cancellation of thousands of licenses, depriving millions of Indians of crucial aid in healthcare, education, and livelihood generation," the Alappuzha MP claimed.

Proposals such as extending the bar on foreign contribution to "any person" and transferring the funds and assets of an organisation to a Government-designated authority on cancellation or non-renewal of its registration have caused deep anxiety among these institutions, Mr. Venugopal said.

In view of these objections, the House on August 12, 2026 referred the Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee of 31 members, he pointed out.

A reference to a JPC carries a clear meaning — wider consultation and deeper scrutiny, and its purpose is to hear from every and stakeholder — NGOs, charitable institutions, religious bodies, voluntary organisations, legal experts and state governments and to bring before the House a well-considered and flawless Bill, he said.

"It has, however, been learnt that no meaningful consultation with stakeholders is taking place, and that there is an intention to have the Bill passed hastily in the forthcoming Winter Session," Venugopal said.

"If this is so, 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," he said.

Birla said the confidence of the people in our parliamentary institutions rests on the assurance that laws affecting their lives are made after due deliberation.

"I am confident that, in keeping with the high traditions of your office, you will ensure that the Joint Parliamentary Committee fulfils the purpose for which it was constituted," he said.

Tagging his letter on X, Mr. Venugopal said, "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 ramifications on the Constitutional rights of minorities and civil society groups, he said.

The JPC was intended to seek inputs from all relevant stakeholders, and do a thorough scrutiny of the draft Bill before it is finalised for re-introduction, he said.

"Today, we are concerned whether a comprehensive feedback and scrutiny process has been undertaken, and have written to the Speaker flagging the same," Mr. Venugopal said.

"We believe that any Bill that emerges out of a JPC should be flawless, and Parliament should be assured that it has passed through a rigorous consultation process. Without ensuring that, a JPC is a meaningless exercise, and a fraud on the Parliament," he said.

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