Congress to protest against FCRA amendment Bill

The Congress on Tuesday (March 31, 2026) accused the Union Government of attempting to “bulldoze” amendments to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) in Parliament and announced a protest by its MPs outside Parliament on Wednesday (April 1, 2026).

In a post on X, Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal alleged that the government was planning to push through the proposed amendments at a time when several Opposition parties were engaged in an “intense election season”.

“This is a blatantly unconstitutional law which will destroy NGOs and community organisations — especially those run by minority communities,” Mr. Venugopal said, adding that the party would not allow the ruling party to “arm-twist honest philanthropic institutions through this draconian Bill”.

Mr. Venugopal said Congress MPs had been asked to urgently reach New Delhi to attend Parliament on Wednesday when the Bill was expected to be taken up. He also announced that Congress MPs would hold a protest outside Parliament at 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday against the proposed amendments.

“We will not allow this to be passed under any circumstances,” he said. The proposed amendments to the FCRA  seek to tighten regulation of foreign funding received by non-governmental organisations. 

Opposition parties have criticised the move, arguing that it could adversely affect the functioning of civil society organisations.