Akhilesh Yadav alleges FCRA Bill aimed at targeting minorities; Opposition demands withdrawal

New Delhi: Samajwadi Party chief and MP, Akhilesh Yadav, on Wednesday alleged that the proposed amendments to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) were aimed at targeting minorities and accused the NDA government of introducing the legislation to serve its own interests.

Speaking to reporters, Yadav questioned the need for the amendment to the Bill and criticised the government’s performance on infrastructure projects.

“Why do they want to bring the FCRA amendments? Is it only to suppress minorities? Is it only to serve their own interests? You are building airports, yet they get flooded with water. You are constructing expressways, yet there are potholes. What are you doing?” he said.

Drawing a comparison between governance and the recent aviation controversy, Yadav added, “Hume plane chalane walon aur pradesh chalane walon mein samanta dikhai de rahi hai.”

Samajwadi Party MP, Awadhesh Prasad, also raised concerns over the proposed legislation, saying that laws should not be enacted without clear intent and practical implementation.

“If the government’s intention is not right, then there is no point in passing such a Bill. There are many laws that have been passed but are not being implemented properly and remain ineffective in practice,” he said.

Another Samajwadi Party leader, MP Ram Gopal Yadav, argued that there was no need for the proposed amendments. He said voluntary organisations, religious organisations especially missionaries and NGOs have played a significant role in providing education, health and welfare services in several parts of the country, including tribal regions.

“There was no need to bring this Bill in the first place. In states such as Jharkhand, in the Dang region of Gujarat and in other tribal areas, the work done by missionaries, voluntary organisations and NGOs has often been greater than what governments have achieved. Restricting them would deprive millions of poor children of education and other essential services,” he said.

CPI MP, P. Santhosh Kumar, said the Opposition had demanded that the Bill be referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).

“There is no necessity for these amendments. However, referring the Bill to a JPC was one of the major demands raised by Opposition parties. Since the BJP will have a majority in the committee, we do not expect any positive outcome,” he said.

RSP MP, N.K. Premachandran, reiterated his party’s demand for the withdrawal of the Bill.

“Our consistent stand has been that the FCRA Bill should be withdrawn. The government is now proposing to send it to a Joint Parliamentary Committee, but the purpose of the Bill appears to be to exercise greater control over charitable organisations, NGOs and institutions run by minority communities,” he said.

IANS