Shillong: The United Democratic Party is siding with Church leaders and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma to challenge the proposed Foreign Contribution Regulation Amendment Act, 2026. Party general secretary Titosstarwell Chyne warned that federal oversight must not turn into a death sentence for humanitarian work. He stated, "The party supports transparency and accountability but regulation must not become strangulation."
The UDP wants the Centre to scrap automatic provisional vesting. They demand a court-supervised process that keeps assets safe until every judicial appeal is finished. Existing Church properties and minority institution assets must stay exempt from these rules. The party insists that new vesting laws should only apply to donations received after the act becomes law. They also flagged constitutional protections under Articles 25-30, arguing that minority educational and religious assets require special status.
The proposal includes strict boundaries for Sixth Schedule areas. Land transfers must follow state laws and require consent from Autonomous District Councils. The UDP also wants to limit disqualification, stating it should only occur after a final court conviction for serious offenses. Pending FIRs should not trigger a shutdown. During any suspension, the party argues that groups must retain the right to spend money on basic bills like rent and salaries to keep local hospitals and schools open.
For the draft rules, the UDP pushed for more flexibility. They requested the removal of 105 rigid operational categories and a 30-day cap on field inquiries. They also want non-executive foreign trustees of minority groups exempted from current mandates. The party is now pressuring the Centre to hold wider talks with state governments and civil society before pushing the bill through.
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