'FCRA Bill in Parliament Likely On Aug 12,', 'Not Going To Be Retrospective,' Says Mizoram CM Lalduhoma After Meeting Amit Shah

New Delhi: Amid a showdown over the foreign funding bill, Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday to formally present recommendations and register regional concerns regarding the proposed Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026.

The joint memorandum was submitted by a high-profile delegation comprising Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma, alongside Reverend John Raldosanga (Chairman of the Mizoram Kohhran Hruaitu Committee - MKHC) and Reverend Lalhmangaiha (General Secretary of the Council of Churches in Mizoram - CCM).

The other Christian representatives who met Amit Shah have demanded that either the FCRA Bill be withdrawn or sent to JPC for further parliamentary scrutiny, according to source.

Following the meeting, Lalduhoma said that he had raised six issues with Shah. "The only thing that is very clearly mentioned to us is that it's not going to be retrospective. That assurance was given to us, and the rest of the points will be given a paragraph-wise comment by him, and he (Amit Shah) is going to start the discussion on the 12th of this month in Parliament..."

Shah also held a meeting in Parliament with members and representatives of the Christian community.

Reverend Lalhmangaiha, the General Secretary of the Council of Churches in Mizoram, said, "We have come here to submit a joint memorandum regarding the new FCRA Amendment Bill 2026, in which some of the points we find difficult to accept."

"For example, those organisations are licensed to receive foreign funds for a special purpose, a designated fund. Even though they use it legally or legitimately, whenever the license is cancelled or voluntarily submitted because we don't need any more foreign funds, then in that case also, retrospectively, the assets they have built before will be taken away. That's what we understand. And if that is the case, we don't feel comfortable with that. That's why we have come and submitted the joint memorandum."

The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 was reintroduced in the Lok Sabha for adoption during the Monsoon Session.

The Bill seeks to amend the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, with the stated objective of enhancing transparency and accountability in the regulation of foreign contributions. It proposes that an organisation's FCRA registration will cease upon expiry, non-renewal or refusal of renewal by the government. It also provides for the creation of a designated authority to oversee the vesting, supervision, management and disposal of foreign contributions and related assets.

Congress and other opposition parties oppose the proposed FCRA Bill, denouncing it as a draconian and unconstitutional measure.

Congress MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy said, "They (government) don't need anybody. They don't need the opposition's voice. They don't need people's voice in this country. They can pass any bill because they have numbers in the house... I request that this be discussed properly. Our demand is that Amit Shah should come to the Parliament and answer about the incident that happened on 20th July at Jantar Mantar... Until then, we are going to continue our protest..."

Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi termed the bill as draconian and stated, "...This is not the right atmosphere to introduce such a bill. You are aware that the first part of the session was a washout due to political obstinacy regarding the primary issue at hand. There is a similar political obstinacy in the refusal of the Home Minister or the Prime Minister to visit the 'Temple of Democracy.' In such an atmosphere of distrust and division, to bring such an important bill is completely wrong and is against all tenets of good governance and parliamentary democracy."

"On the merits of the bill, everybody knows that this is a most draconian bill intended to be used as a tool for harassment by a control-freak government. That is why it is being opposed tooth and nail by all diverse sections of civil society," Singhvi added.

Congress MP Hibi Eden said, "We have been constantly telling the government that FCRA is something which has raised a lot of concerns among the NGOs in this country, amongst our religious minorities who receive foreign contributions from many different countries... unfortunately, this is an amendment which is brought to destroy the religious minorities of this country, wherever healthcare, education has been provided in the Naxal tribal areas."

Further, he said, "There are many organisations that are working, especially the Christian organisations. Their interests have been hampered. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) has clearly condemned this particular bill. There are many organisations, NGOs, that have raised their concerns. And the particular amendment: if a technical glitch happens in renewing the license, the entire assets can be taken over by the government, which cannot be accepted at all. So we will strongly oppose this amendment."