BJP Dismisses Congress Charges on FCRA Bill as Baseless, Says Truth Will Prevail in Parliament
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday rejected allegations levelled by Congress leader K.C. Venugopal against Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), calling them 'baseless and politically motivated'.
Mr. Venugopal, in a post on X, accused Home Minister Amit Shah of lying to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) about the FCRA, and alleged that the Modi government was 'hell bent on using the FCRA to harass vocal civil society organisations and minority-run institutions and take over their properties'.
These remarks came a day after the CBCI urged Mr. Shah to withdraw the FCRA Bill, 2026, and the recently notified Rules, requesting that both be redrafted after wider consultation with stakeholders.
Responding to Mr. Venugopal’s post, BJP MP and spokesperson Sambit Patra said that the Congress party had 'gotten into the habit of serving up lies' and that 'everyone in the party has been assigned the responsibility of spreading different lies'.
'The confusion being spread by the Opposition and certain vested interests regarding the amendments to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) is completely baseless and politically motivated,' Mr. Patra said in his post on X.
He added, 'Venugopal ji, all the allegations made by you are not only baseless and far-fetched but also laughable. In any case, this Bill is going to be introduced in Parliament. There will certainly be a discussion there. The truth will come out, and the facts will become clear.'
Mr. Patra further stated that the Modi government operated on a policy of 'high accountability' and 'nation first', contrasting it with the 'low-trust' policy of the previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
The FCRA Bill, 2026, and related Rules have been a point of contention, with several civil society organisations and religious bodies expressing concerns over potential curbs on foreign funding. The government, however, maintains that the amendments are aimed at ensuring greater transparency and preventing misuse of foreign contributions.
The matter is expected to be debated when the Bill is introduced in Parliament. Both the ruling party and the opposition have indicated they will present their positions during the discussion.
As of now, no official statement has been issued by the Home Ministry on the allegations. The CBCI has not commented further on the BJP’s response.
