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New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed a motion to refer the FCRA Bill 2026 to a 31-member joint committee of Parliament for further scrutiny, amid strong Opposition protests and demands for its withdrawal.
The motion, moved by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai amid sloganeering by Opposition MPs demanding the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah in the House, provides for a committee, comprising 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha.
The Lok Sabha members will be nominated by Speaker Om Birla, while those from the Rajya Sabha will be nominated by Chairman CP Radhakrishnan. The Committee has been asked to submit its report to the Lok Sabha by the first week of the Parliament's Winter Session in 2026.
Before the motion was passed, Congress MP K C Venugopal said the opposition had only just received information about sending the bill to a joint committee and alleged that the legislation clearly targeted the minorities and NGOs. The bill should be withdrawn, he demanded.
Parliamentaray Affairs Minister Kiran Rijiju rejected the charge, saying the Congress and other opposition parties had themselves been demanding that the Bill be sent to the House committee. If they have any reservations about the Bill, they can speak to the JPC, he said, adding that the legislation did not target any minority community.
BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, who was in the Chair, said the government had agreed to the demand and therefore there would be a "threadbare discussion" in the joint parliamentary committee. Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav said the entire Opposition qas against the FCRA Bill and took a dig at Amit Shah for not being present in the House.
