T.N CM Stalin terms FCRA Amendment Bill ‘draconian’

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday (April 3, 2026) wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing deep anguish and concern over the Union government’s introduction of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) (FCRA) Amendment Bill, 2026, in Parliament. Mr. Stalin contended that neither the Union government nor States possessed the capacity to replace the educational, medical, and charitable services rendered by non-profit organisations.

Terming it a “draconian Bill,” Mr. Stalin pointed out that it sought to dismantle India’s charitable organisations by enabling the Union government, at its discretion, to cancel the FCRA registration of an organisation and take over its assets — whether it is a church, school, or hospital — “without any due process.”

He said the Bill, therefore, was “ex-facie contrary” to Articles 25, 29, 30, and 300-A of the Constitution of India and is nothing but a “legalised assault on minority-run institutions.”

“You have attended several events organised by Christian groups, where you have personally praised the charitable work done by them in India for providing education and healthcare to some of the most marginalised sections of society, including Dalits, tribals, and the rural poor,” Mr. Stalin said.

The Bill intended to “completely cut off funding” to such charitable activities and poses an existential threat to charitable organisations reliant on foreign funds. The expansion of liability to “key functionaries,” coupled with an implicit presumption of guilt, will deter honest individuals who want to contribute to charitable work in India, Mr. Stalin underlined.

‘Will affect vulnerable groups’

“Consequently, the immediate victims will not be just the organisations themselves, but the millions of vulnerable citizens who depend on these institutions for education and healthcare. Neither the Union government nor States possess the capacity to replace these educational, medical, and charitable services rendered by these organisations and the result will be a collapse of grassroots welfare infrastructure across the country,” he said.

Mr. Stalin said, in a nutshell, this Bill represented a “fundamental attack on religious freedom and charity by civil society. He said he was also aware that the Union Ministry for Home Affairs has “held back the Bill temporarily for fear of electoral setbacks” in States like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Assam with a sizeable Christian population.

“However, the public fears that once elections are over, you will revive the Bill in Parliament. If enacted, this legislation will leave a permanent scar on India’s democratic, secular, and humanitarian legacy. I, therefore, urge you, in the strongest possible terms, to immediately withdraw the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026,” Mr. Stalin contended.

The Christian community throughout India was agitated and aggrieved by several provisions of this Bill, Mr. Stalin said and specified some of them. “Deemed cessation” of FCRA registration, whereby even a procedural delay, administrative refusal, or failure of the State to act in time can automatically strip an organisation of its registration, was one of them.

In case of cancellation of registration or deemed cessation, vesting of the entire foreign contribution balance and every asset created from funds, including schools, hospitals, hostels, land, and buildings with a government-appointed “Designated Authority”, was another.

The renewal process itself remained opaque, non-transparent, and fundamentally arbitrary, with the FCRA Department denying organisations even the basic principles of natural justice by refusing to communicate deficiencies or provide a fair hearing, he said. “Even more alarming is the provision that assets created partly from foreign contributions and partly from domestic sources will be wholly appropriated.”

Published – April 03, 2026 04:51 pm IST