Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has penned a scathing criticism of the proposed Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, which the Centre is planning to introduce in Parliament next week, dubbing the Bill as a “dangerous escalation in the centralisation of executive power.” He alleged that it “fundamentally rewrites the relationship between the Indian state and civil society.”
In a column published in The Indian Express, the Thiruvananthapuram MP alleged that the Centre was being “driven by its majoritarian ideology and allergy to independent voices”.
Elaborating further, he stated that the Centre was increasingly treating charities, think tanks and human rights groups as threats instead of development partners.
“The current government has increasingly reframed non-profit charities, think tanks and human rights groups not as development partners, but as sources of subversion and foreign manipulation. To neutralise these voices, the state has targeted their primary vulnerability: dependence on international philanthropy,” stated Tharoor.
What the Bill proposes
The Bill proposes the creation of a “Designated Authority” that would take control of foreign contributions and assets created from them if an organisation’s FCRA registration is cancelled, surrendered or expires without renewal. If the assets include a place of worship, the Authority must preserve its religious character.
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Tharoor argued that existing restrictions introduced in the law through earlier amendments have already made it severely stringent.
“Through aggressive enforcement and sweeping amendments to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), the government has already imposed complex compliance burdens, such as banning sub-granting to grassroots organisations, slashing allowable administrative outlays, and mandating a single bank branch in New Delhi for all foreign inflows,” he wrote.
Funding concerns
He added that these measures had “triggered an 87 per cent drop in foreign funding, forcing thousands of secular and community-based organisations to shut down.”
The Congress MP sounded a note of caution, stating that allowing the government to take over assets would seriously weaken charitable institutions. “The Amendment introduces an unprecedented mechanism of control that bypasses traditional legal protections,” he added.
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Drawing on his experience in Kerala, Tharoor said Christian-run schools, hospitals, medical colleges and welfare organisations have served people across communities for generations. He cautioned that linking FCRA decisions to state takeover of land and buildings could disrupt essential public services.
Appeal to Opposition
Calling the proposal legislation unfair, he said, “It is a profound injustice to subject institutions that have devoted generations to India’s development, education, and healthcare to such punitive statutory mechanisms. The contributions of the Church and affiliated charitable organisations in India are documented in millions of lives uplifted, educated, and healed.”
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Tharoor urged Opposition parties to resist the Bill in Parliament.
Ministry of Home Affairs data shows 13,520 organisations received Rs 55,741 crore in foreign contributions between 2019 and 2022. As of July 15, 2026, the FCRA portal recorded 14,449 active registrations, 22,498 cancellations and 15,212 expired registrations, reported NDTV.
Parliament remains disrupted
Meanwhile, Parliament proceedings were disrupted again on Thursday (August 6), with the Lok Sabha being adjourned till 2 pm and the Rajya Sabha till 2.15 pm during the Monsoon Session. Before the adjournment, the Lok Sabha paid tribute to the victims of the 1945 Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings.
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Outside Parliament, Opposition MPs renewed protests over the alleged Ram Mandir donation embezzlement case and the police action against students at Jantar Mantar on July 20. Samajwadi Party MPs displayed posters reading, “Chanda chor, gaddi chhod,” while other Opposition members raised placards demanding, “Amit Shah jawab do.”
Congress MP Manickam Tagore also sought a discussion in the Lok Sabha on the police action through an adjournment motion.
Responding to the government’s criticism, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said, “There was theft in the Ram Temple. Is Lord Ram responsible for that? We raised our voice against the theft, and now we are being called anti-Ram.” He added that those accused in the alleged theft were instead being portrayed as devotees.