FCRA Amendment Bill an Attack on Minorities, Says CPI(M); Demands Centre to Withdraw Bill

Thiruvananthapuram: The CPI(M) Kerala State Secretariat has sharply condemned the central government's amended Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act Bill, describing it as a calculated assault on minority communities and demanding that the Modi government immediately withdraw what it called an unconstitutional piece of legislation passed by overriding all opposition.

In a statement issued by the State Secretariat, the party outlined the sweeping powers the amended bill would vest in the central government over NGOs, trusts, societies, and other organisations that receive foreign donations.

Under the proposed provisions, any NGO whose FCRA registration is cancelled would be barred from transferring or selling its assets without prior central government approval. The funds and assets of such de-registered organisations would be handed over to government-appointed authorities for management. If the registration is not restored within the stipulated period, the government would permanently take over the assets of the organisation concerned — with those assets then to be utilised for what the bill terms "public purposes."

The bill also contains provisions for strict action against organisations accused of using foreign funds to carry out forced religious conversions — a clause the CPI(M) says is deliberately framed to target minority institutions. The party warned that the provision could pave the way for the seizure not only of minority-run educational institutions but of their places of worship as well.

The statement said the bill effectively brings minority institutions and civil society organisations under direct central government control — a move it described as a grave infringement on constitutionally guaranteed rights. It characterised the provisions enabling the government to seize foreign contributions and assets upon licence expiry as both unconstitutional and a violation of the principles of natural justice.

The party said the legislation creates a mechanism through which the central government — under the guise of licence renewal for foreign-aided organisations — could intrude into rights that the Constitution explicitly guarantees to minorities, including the right to establish and administer their own educational institutions.

The Secretariat further condemned the manner in which the bill was passed — pushing it through Parliament unilaterally, dismissing objections raised by opposition parties including Left parties. The CPI(M) said this one-sided approach reflected the government's intent to use regulatory power as a tool to subjugate institutions that fall outside its political orbit.

The CPI(M) statement concluded its statement with a direct demand that the central government must step back from what it called a planned and systematic effort to strip minorities of their fundamental rights, and must withdraw the amended bill without further delay.