The Congress MP K C Venugopal on Thursday wrote a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla alleging that no meaningful discussion was taking place in the JPC. He said the JPC was not making any attempt to hold serious discussions with stakeholders and appears to be in a mood to hastily pass the bill in winter session.
The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 25 March 2026, and from the outset all Opposition parties opposed it in one voice. It was then referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee and the government hopes to take it up for discussion during the winter session if the JPC report is submitted to the Speaker by that time.
Venugopal, who posted the letter on his X handle, said that if stakeholders were not consulted, it would defeat the very purpose of the JPC. He urged the Speaker to direct the JPC to invite suggestions from stakeholders through written memoranda and take up an oral hearing. He was of the view that since this exercise was important, the JPC needs more time and hence the deadline for submitting the report be extended.
“The relentless weaponisation of the FCRA over the past few years has already led to the cancellation of thousands of licenses, depriving millions of Indians of crucial aid in healthcare, education, and livelihood generation,”
In his letter, he said, “I write to draw your kind attention to the manner in which the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 is reportedly proceeding, and to seek your intervention as the custodian of this House and its Committees.”
Proposals such as extending the bar on foreign contribution to “any person” and transferring the funds and assets of an organisation to a government-designated authority on cancellation or non-renewal of its registration have caused deep anxiety among these institutions, Venugopal said.
Justifying the demand for extension of deadline, the Congress MP said, this is a highly sensitive Bill with wide-ranging ramifications on the Constitutional rights of minorities and civil society groups.
“We believe that any Bill that emerges out of a JPC should be flawless, and Parliament should be assured that it has passed through a rigorous consultation process. Without ensuring that, a JPC is a meaningless exercise and a fraud on the Parliament,” he added.
