BJP leader V Muraleedharan slammed Congress’ criticism of FCRA rules as political, questioning if the party feared losing its ‘vote bank’ after the govt addressed the concerns of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI).
Amid ongoing row over the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) Amendment Rules 2026, BJP leader V Muraleedharan on Saturday claimed that Congress’ criticism was driven by political considerations rather than genuine concern. Saying that the Congress was “panicking” despite concerns of Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) being addressed, the BJP leader questioned whether the party feared losing its “vote bank.” Tracing the history of the FCRA, Muraleedharan pointed out that the law was first enacted in 1976, when the Congress itself was in power, and argued that it is designed for national security. He noted that it was the Congress-led government under then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that introduced a provision on religious conversion into the Act in 2010, and asked why the party was now objecting to the BJP government’s changes, claiming that no new provisions on conversion had been added beyond what already existed from 1976 and 2010. “FCRA is aimed at ensuring national security. And this act came into existence in 1976, when Congress was in power. The first amendment, where a conversion angle was included in the FCRA Act, was brought in 2010 when Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister. Now, the BJP government does something, and if the Congress criticises that, the basic reason is political…other than the provisions which were included in 1976 and 2010, no new provisions regarding any religious conversion have been included by this government…After the clarification by the Home Minister, if the bishops are convinced, why is Congress panicking? Are they disappointed that they are losing their vote bank?” Muraleedharan told ANI.
Govt Addresses CBCI’s Concerns
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had notified the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Rules, 2026, on June 22, introducing a detailed framework classifying permissible activities under the religious category while also tightening compliance requirements for organisations receiving foreign funding in India. Following that, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) on July 10 had submitted a memorandum to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, raising concerns over the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 among other matters. HM Shah has reportedly addressed their concerns.
Following that, Keralam Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Saturday thanked Shah “for patiently addressing the concerns raised by the CBCI leadership and explaining the FCRA amendments in detail.” “…The Government has clarified that the amendments will have no retrospective effect, addressing one of the key concerns regarding existing assets. The Home Secretary, the Director of FCRA, and the official team held detailed discussions, answered every question, and addressed every genuine concern. One constructive discussion has demolished months of lies, fear-mongering, and misinformation spread by Congress and CPM. This is how responsible governance works–through dialogue, transparency, and mutual respect…” he said on X.
Congress Accuses BJP of ‘Weaponising’ FCRA
Meanwhile, Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal has accused Amit Shah of misleading the CBCI and “weaponising” the FCRA Act against civil society organisations. In an X post, Venugopal slammed the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Rules, 2026, stating that it prevents organisations from changing their scope of work or geography.
The Congress leader wrote, “In typical BJP fashion, HM Amit Shah has lied to the CBCI about FCRA and is wrongly deflecting blame to hide his government’s culpability in weaponising the FCRA laws. In reality, the Modi Government has been hell-bent on using the FCRA to harass vocal civil society organisations and minority-run institutions and take over their properties.”
“In 2020, they severely tightened FCRA rules to increase the time period for which organisations can be suspended, gave greater powers to the Centre to scrutinise them, and even limited their administrative expenses – essentially crippling them from carrying out their routine activities,” he added.
He also slammed the Centre’s attempt to bring an amendment to the FCRA, as the Bill provided for the cessation of the FCRA certificate of an organisation upon expiry, non-renewal or refusal of renewal by the government.
What the New FCRA Rules State
The amendment modifies the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Rules, 2011, and introduces a dedicated schedule outlining activities eligible for registration under religious purposes. The listed activities include construction, renovation and maintenance of places of worship such as temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras, monasteries, synagogues and other religious sites.
The schedule also permits preservation, printing, translation and digitisation of sacred scriptures and commentaries, support for institutions engaged in the study of religious philosophy and history, and provision of amenities for pilgrims, including drinking water, sanitation and shelter facilities at heritage religious sites. It further allows the establishment of dharamshalas, langars, annadans and community kitchens under religious initiatives.
Other permitted activities include religious education, moral instruction, satsangs, discourses, meditation retreats, promotion of devotional music, chants, theatre and liturgical arts, as well as documentation and revival of indigenous and tribal faith practices. However, the rules clearly exclude any activity involving proselytisation.
The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, originally enacted in 1976 and later replaced in 2010, has undergone multiple amendments in recent years. Registrations under the Act remain valid for five years and require periodic renewal. (ANI)
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