The Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has strongly opposed the proposed amendments to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), describing it as ‘one of the most dangerous bills’ in independent India. According to MPCC president Vincent H Pala, the proposed provisions could put properties belonging to churches, NGOs, schools, and hospitals at risk. Pala expressed concerns that the amendments went beyond regulation and could allow the attachment of properties belonging to organisations whose FCRA registrations are cancelled, not renewed, or surrendered.
Pala specifically raised concerns over Clause 16A, alleging that it could empower authorities to take over an organisation’s property if its FCRA registration was cancelled, not renewed, or surrendered. He cited a hypothetical example of a church constructed at a cost of Rs 10 crore, saying its property could potentially be affected even if only Rs 10 lakh of its funding had come through FCRA contributions. Similar concerns were raised regarding schools and hospitals.
Pala claimed that the number of FCRA registrations in the country had declined from more than 50,000 previously to around 14,000, and said there were about 2,313 active registrations in the Northeast and around 70 in Meghalaya. The Congress party itself does not have an FCRA registration but is opposing the proposed amendments on behalf of institutions and people who could be affected.
Pala alleged that the proposed amendments could disproportionately affect minority institutions, particularly Christian organisations, and called for greater public opposition to the Bill. The campaign would also be taken up at the national level, including in Parliament and through protests. Congress general secretary Manuel Badwar criticised the National People’s Party (NPP)-led Meghalaya government, alleging that it had not done enough to oppose the proposed amendments.
Badwar accused the state government of trying to project opposition to the Bill without taking sufficient steps to influence its outcome. He defended the Congress’s decision to organise protests against the proposed legislation, saying political parties have a role in opposing legislation because governments and political parties are responsible for making laws. Badwar described the proposed FCRA legislation as ‘the most draconian bill’ he had seen in his years in politics and alleged that it was intended not only to regulate foreign contributions but also to ‘grab’ properties.
