Congress will strongly oppose FCRA Amendment Bill, says Mallikarjun Kharge
Rudrapur: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has stated that his party will oppose the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, adding that the matter will be deliberated during a meeting of opposition floor leaders on Monday.
Speaking to ANI, Kharge also noted that his tour of Uttarakhand is intended to motivate party activists ahead of state assembly elections scheduled for next year. The FCRA Amendment Bill is anticipated to be introduced in the Lok Sabha during the final week of Parliament's monsoon session.
Kharge, who serves as the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, addressed a public gathering in Haldwani on Saturday. During his visit, he is slated to interact with newly designated state and district party heads in Rudrapur.
"We will oppose the FCRA-related move. We will take a decision (about strategy) tomorrow after a meeting of floor leaders," he said.
Kharge remarked that Congress activists were working to unseat the BJP administration in the forthcoming Uttarakhand assembly polls.
"I am the AICC President. I cannot come here every day, but our army is present here... Does PM Modi come here every day? Does Amit Shah come here? Does Nadda, even though he hails from this very region, come here? Does the new BJP President come here? We visit when and where it is necessary to energise our party workers. That does not mean we simply arrive and leave like tourists," he said.
Multiple opposition groups have voiced objections to the FCRA Amendment Bill. Congress leader K.C. Venugopal stated on Friday that the party would strongly resist the measure, asserting that the "government cannot bulldoze this type of bill".
The proposed legislation aims to amend the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, with the stated objective of improving transparency and accountability surrounding foreign funding regulations.
Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday to outline recommendations and highlight regional concerns regarding the FCRA legislation. Lalduhoma later confirmed that he raised six points 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 convened a meeting in Parliament with representatives and members of the Christian community, who have voiced opposition to specific provisions within the bill.
DMK president M.K. Stalin urged the central government on Saturday to retract the FCRA Amendment Bill and repeal Section 15 of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010.
In a post on X, Stalin stated that a delegation from the Joint Action Forum on Minorities, headed by DMK Rajya Sabha MP P. Wilson alongside religious leaders across various denominations, met Shah on 6 August to demand the withdrawal of the bill.
The NCP(SP) has likewise registered its opposition to the legislation.
During his address in Haldwani on Saturday, Kharge voiced confidence that Congress would secure power in Uttarakhand in the upcoming assembly elections. He criticised the BJP administration over a police crackdown on student demonstrators in Delhi, while highlighting issues surrounding temple donations, unemployment, recruitment exam irregularities, and paper leaks in Uttarakhand.
ANI