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Pressure from opposition parties: Government is considering sending FCRA Bill to the Joint Committee of Parliament
Samira Vishwas | August 12, 2026 6:24 AM CST

New Delhi11 August. Amidst tremendous pressure from opposition parties, the government is considering sending the 'Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment (FCRA) Bill, 2026' to a joint committee of both the Houses of Parliament. However, some other opposition parties including Congress have demanded its withdrawal. Government sources gave this information on Tuesday.

According to media reports, Congress and Trinamool Congress were among the parties who raised this issue during the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee of Rajya Sabha. Although this was not part of the agenda. These parties questioned when the FCRA Bill would be brought in the House. In response to this, the government said that a decision in this regard will be taken at the appropriate time.

Congress and Trinamool Congress demanded withdrawal of the bill

Both these parties demanded withdrawal of the bill. But other parties like BJD believe that the bill may be sent to a joint committee of Parliament for comprehensive discussion. Sources said that DMK is also in favor of withdrawal of the bill. This bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25 this year, which proposes strict government monitoring of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and foreign funding in the country.

The proposal can be brought in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday

Government sources said that it is considering sending this bill to the joint committee of both the houses of the Parliament and a proposal in this regard can be brought in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. Opposition parties objecting to the FCRA bill allege that it targets minorities as some of its provisions will hamper legitimate funding for Christian NGOs and minority-run social welfare and educational institutions.

But the government has made it clear that the proposed law is not linked to any particular religion and is aimed at regulating foreign contributions. The meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of the Rajya Sabha was chaired by Chairman CP Radhakrishnan and was attended by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Leader of the House J. P. Nadda and opposition leaders Jairam Ramesh (Congress), Tiruchi Siva (DMK) and Sasmit Patra (BJD).

During the meeting, the BAC allotted two hours for discussion on the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, two hours for the Tribunals Reform Bill, 2026, three hours for the National Cooperative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and 1.5 hours for the Kerala (Change of Name) Bill, 2026. Later, Deputy Chairman Harivansh announced the decisions of the BAC in the House.


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