New Delhi : The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 was referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on Wednesday after the Centre moved a motion in the Lok Sabha amid fierce protests and objections from Opposition MPs. The motion was accepted through a voice vote. Akhilesh Yadav and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju also engaged in a sharp faceoff over the Opposition’s allegation that the proposed legislation targets minorities.
Yadav said the entire Opposition opposed the bill and asked, “Which bill has this government brought so far that was not against minorities?” Rijiju hit back by challenging Yadav to point out a single provision that targets minorities, saying the Opposition was misleading the House. Yadav said, “We, the entire Opposition, are against the FCRA bill that the government is bringing. Honourable Speaker, the honourable minister is saying that this bill is not against minorities. I want to ask the honourable minister, tell us, which bill has this government brought so far that was not against minorities?”
Earlier, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai moved the motion to refer the FCRA Bill to a JPC after the Lok Sabha resumed proceedings following its adjournment in the morning. Congress MP KC Venugopal demanded that the government withdraw the bill, alleging that it was aimed at targeting minorities and NGOs. He said, “This is clearly for targeting minorities and NGOs. The government should withdraw this bill.” Rijiju said the Congress had itself demanded that the bill be referred to a JPC and asked the Opposition to use the committee process to raise its concerns.
The proposed Joint Committee will have 31 members, comprising 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. The Lok Sabha members will be nominated by the Speaker, while the Rajya Sabha members will be nominated by the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. The committee will conduct an in-depth examination of the legislative provisions and submit its report to Parliament by the last day of the first week of the Winter Session of 2026. The quorum for the committee’s sittings will be one-third of its total membership.
The bill also came under criticism from US Congressman Riley Moore, who described it as “a clear attack against Christians” and warned it could become a bilateral issue between India and the United States. Calling the proposed amendments to the FCRA “a clear attack against Christians”, he alleged that the legislation could allow the government to take control of churches and religious charities.
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