Shillong: The Foreign Contribution Regulation Amendment Bill, 2026, is absent from the government agenda for Monday’s Business Advisory Committee meeting. Officials prioritized four other bills instead. Despite the current delay, Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma expects a parliamentary debate on August 12 after receiving assurances from Union Home Minister Amit Shah that the law will not apply retroactively.
Introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25, the legislation creates a government-appointed Designated Authority. This body could seize foreign contributions and assets from organizations if their registration is cancelled or surrendered. Opposition parties label the move as "draconian" because it grants the Centre control over hospitals, schools, and charities, especially those serving minority communities.
Resistance spans several states. Kerala passed a resolution demanding the bill's withdrawal, while groups in Tamil Nadu have voiced similar alarms. In Meghalaya, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma led a delegation of church leaders to lobby Amit Shah, emphasizing that Christian-run facilities provide essential services where state resources fail. The United Democratic Party and the HSPDP youth wing have both demanded the bill go to a Joint Parliamentary Committee.
Tura Congress MP Saleng A. Sangma met with Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan to argue that the bill would have "devastating effects" on Christian communities in the Northeast. The Centre maintains the changes are necessary to stop fund misuse and improve transparency. The Ministry of External Affairs recently pushed back against US Congressman Riley Moore, who called the bill an attack on Christians, by stating that India's legislative process remains an internal affair. Congress has issued a whip for its MPs to attend the final days of the Monsoon Session through August 12.
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