Shillong: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla formed a 31-member joint committee on Thursday to pick apart the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026. BJP leader Sanjay Jaiswal will lead the panel. It features 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. The committee must file its report by the end of the first week of the Winter session.
The group breaks down into 14 BJP members, five from Congress, and two each from the JD(U), TMC, and DMK. The SP, IUML, Shiv Sena, NCP (SP), NCP, and TDP each hold one seat. Parliament sent the bill to this committee on August 12 after the Opposition claimed the law hits minorities and NGOs hard. The government dismissed these claims.
The Bill hit the Lok Sabha on March 25. It demands tighter oversight of foreign funds and grants authorities power to seize assets if an organization loses its FCRA license. Meghalaya, where Christians make up nearly 75 percent of the population, sees the move as a threat to essential schools and hospitals. Meghalaya Congress president Vincent Pala led a rally at Don Bosco Point and "called the proposals an attack on churches, schools and NGOs and sought the resignation of the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister."
Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma led a church delegation to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on July 5 to discuss these fears. The group included the Presbyterian Church of India, the North East India Christian Council, the Catholic Archdiocese of Shillong, and the Garo Baptist Convention. They specifically flagged Section 16A, which allows the government to take over assets. Previous talks involved Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, and a UDP team led by Lahkmen Rymbui. The state government is now setting up an FCRA Cell to help local groups with paperwork.
Updated at 5th September 2026 at 1:48am
Northeast lawmakers are fuming after finding zero representation from their region on the 31-member panel. Despite the bill triggering the loudest outcry from Mizoram, Nagaland, and Meghalaya, no MP from these states secured a seat. The oversight has drawn sharp criticism from local leaders who argue their specific humanitarian concerns will go unheard in Delhi.
While the region lacks a voice on the committee, other areas with heavy Christian populations have representation. Anto Antony from Kerala and Captain Viriato Fernandes from South Goa hold seats, as does DMK member P. Wilson, who previously spearheaded legal efforts and led early church delegations to meet Home Minister Amit Shah.
Chief Ministers in Mizoram and Nagaland have joined Meghalaya's Conrad Sangma in formally opposing the legislative push. Meanwhile, local groups are doubling down. The Khasi-Jaintia Christian Leaders Forum wants an assembly resolution to kill the bill, mirroring moves in Kerala, while the Hynniewtrep Youth Council pledged to physically stand with church institutions if the state tries to seize assets.
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