New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Wednesday sent the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, to a 31-member joint committee of Parliament amid protests by opposition parties, which alleged that the proposed law targets minorities and NGOs and demanded its withdrawal.
The government rejected the charge and challenged the opposition parties to identify even one provision that discriminates against minorities.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Congress and other opposition parties had themselves demanded that the Bill be referred to a House committee for detailed scrutiny and alleged that a campaign was being run to mislead certain communities.
The motion to refer the Bill to the joint committee was moved by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai amid sloganeering by opposition MPs demanding the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah in the House.
The committee has been asked to submit its report to the Lok Sabha by the last day of the first week of the Winter Session of Parliament in 2026.
The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25 and proposes tighter government oversight over non-governmental organisations and foreign funding in the country.
“This legislation is clearly for targeting the NGOs and minority institutions which are doing good work,” Congress MP K C Venugopal said.
“On the one side, the RSS is getting complete donations from foreign countries, while on the other side, the government is trying to target minorities and NGOs. The government should withdraw this Bill. We demand the withdrawal of this Bill,” Venugopal said.
Rijiju, who is also the Union Minister of Minority Affairs, rejected the allegations and said the opposition can raise their reservations before the joint committee.
“If they have any reservations about the Bill, they can speak in the JPC. This is not targeted at any minority community,” he said.
The minister said the Congress and other opposition parties had themselves demanded that the Bill be referred to a House committee for detailed scrutiny.
