FCRA bill not passed amid opposition protests

NEW DELHI: Opposition protests against a bill to amend the Foreign Donations Regulation Act rocked Parliament on Wednesday, forcing the Lok Sabha to postpone hearing amid allegations that the BJP is trying to control independent NGOs.Opposition MPs also staged protests at Parliament House. As the LS meeting got underway, members of the opposition parties started raising slogans against the FCRA (Amendment) Bill. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the bill was aimed at protecting national security and did not target any religion. He said there would be no discussion of the bill on Wednesday.

Congress, Left mislead people of Kerala: Rijiju FCRA Act

As the protests were led mainly by members from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Rijiju said the Congress and Left parties had misled the people of Kerala.The BJP is courting Christians, especially in Kerala, which has a population of over 18%, and the government’s decision to go slow on the FCRA bill in the face of protests from Christian groups may be out of political pragmatism. While the BJP believes that changing the law through the bill is necessary to curb its abuses in the “national interest”, the party has been receptive to the demands of Christian groups in the past, as evidenced by the quick release of two Kerala nuns arrested under anti-conversion laws in Chhattisgarh last year after fierce protests by the community.The opposition demonstration took place before the start of the parliamentary session. Lawmakers held huge banners asking the government to “stop targeting NGOs and institutions” and raised slogans calling for the bill to be withdrawn.With most MPs out for campaigning, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal said on Monday night that MPs have been asked to attend the House and oppose the FCRA Bill, while other political parties have also been invited to join the protests.Congress MP Manikam Tagore said opposition unity has forced the government to put the bill on hold. Congress MP Manish Tewari called the bill “arbitrary, malicious and capricious”.Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav claimed, “The BJP wants to control NGOs, turn them into puppets and gradually take over their assets.”Kerala’s two traditional rivals, the Congress and the Left, have joined forces to oppose provisions of the bill, which they claim will target charities run by minorities, especially Christians, including schools and hospitals.