‘Anti-people’: Congress vows to oppose FCRA Bill, Venugopal accuses Centre of targeting NGOs

File
photo:
AICC
ge e al
sec eta y
KC
Ve ugopal

NEW
DELHI:
Co g ess
o
Su day
stepped
up
its
oppositio
to
the
p oposed
Fo eig
Co t ibutio
(Regulatio )
Ame dme t
Bill,
2026,
with
AICC
ge e al
sec eta y
KC
Ve ugopal
wa i g
that
the
pa ty
a d
othe
oppositio
pa ties
would
st o gly
p otest
if
the
legislatio
is
i t oduced
i
Pa liame t.Ve ugopal,
speaki g
to
epo te s
i
Alappuzha,
alleged
that
the
p oposed
legislatio
was
aimed
at
ta geti g
mi o ities
a d
NGOs
a d
said
the
Oppositio
would
ot
allow
it
to
be
passed.”If
the
Ce t al
Gove me t
thi ks
they
ca
cook
up
a d
i t oduce
the
Fo eig
Co t ibutio
(Regulatio )
Ame dme t
Bill
withi
these
two
o
th ee
days,
they
should
keep
that
wish
to
themselves,”
Ve ugopal
said.He
desc ibed
the
p oposed
legislatio
as
“u co stitutio al
a d
a ti-people”,
addi g,
“We
will
ot
allow
such
a
a ti-people
a d
u co stitutio al
bill
to
be
passed.”

The
FCRA
Ame dme t
Bill,
which
seeks
to
ame d
the
Fo eig
Co t ibutio
(Regulatio )
Act,
2010,
is
expected
to
be
take
up
i
the
fi al
week
of
the
Mo soo
Sessio .Co g ess
p eside t
Mallika ju
Kha ge
also
said
o
Satu day
that
the
pa ty
would
oppose
the
measu e
a d
that
its
st ategy
would
be
discussed
at
a
meeti g
of
Oppositio
floo
leade s
o
Mo day.

Co g ess
aises
questio s
ove
stude t
p otests,
Amit
Shah

Ve ugopal
also
sought
a swe s
f om
U io
home
mi iste
Amit
Shah
ove
the
alleged
use
of
fo ce
agai st
stude ts
p otesti g
i
Delhi
agai st
i egula ities
i
competitive
exami atio s.

He
asked
Shah
to
espo d
to
allegatio s
co ce i g
the
use
of
pellet
gu s,
lathi
cha ges
a d
tea
gas
du i g
the
p otests,
a d
questio ed
his
abse ce
f om
Pa liame t.”Whe
stude ts
i
I dia
ask
the
c ucial
questio
of
who
o de ed
the
use
of
pellet
gu s,
lathi
cha ges
a d
tea
gas
shells
agai st
them
to
supp ess
thei
p otest,
Amit
Shah
would
ot
come
fo wa d
to
a swe
it,”
Ve ugopal
said.His
ema ks
came
amid
a
b oade
oppositio
campaig
ove
the
July
20
p otests
i
Delhi,
du i g
which
stude t
p oteste s
have
alleged
excessive
use
of
fo ce.Co g ess
leade
Rahul
Ga dhi
had
also
aised
the
issue
du i g
a
i te actio
with
p oteste s
ea lie .

Oppositio
p epa es
fo
key
Bills
i
Pa liame t

The
Co g ess’
oppositio
to
the
FCRA
Bill
comes
ahead
of
the
fi al
th ee
days
of
the
Mo soo
Sessio ,
with
the
pa ty
issui g
a
whip
aski g
its
MPs
to
emai
p ese t
i
both
Houses
o
August
10,
11
a d
12.Co g ess
chief
whip
i
the
Rajya
Sabha
Jai am
Ramesh
said
the
pa ty
wa ted
to
e su e
that
“histo y
should
ot
epeat
itself”,
ecalli g
the
suspe sio
of
146
Oppositio
MPs
du i g
the
2023
Wi te
Sessio .Ramesh
said
that
afte
the
suspe sio s,
seve al
majo
pieces
of
legislatio ,
i cludi g
the
th ee
ew
c imi al
laws,
we e
passed
with
mi imal
Oppositio
p ese ce.The
Co g ess
has
also
asked
its
INDIA
bloc
allies
to
e su e
thei
MPs
emai
p ese t
du i g
the
fi al
days
of
the
sessio .The
FCRA
Bill
equi es
a
simple
majo ity
fo
passage,
while
a y
Co stitutio
ame dme t
bill
o
delimitatio
would
equi e
a
two-thi ds
majo ity,
acco di g
to
the
backg ou d
i fo matio
p ovided
by
the
pa ty.

Ve ugopal
questio s
FCRA
est ictio s,
delimitatio
p oposal

Ve ugopal
also
questio ed
the
p oposed
est ictio s
o
o ga isatio s
eceivi g
fo eig
co t ibutio s
a d
aised
the
issue
of
fo eig
fu di g
eceived
by
o ga isatio s
associated
with
the
RSS.”If
you
have
the
cou age,
t y
co t olli g
the
RSS,”
he
said.He
also
opposed
the
p oposed
delimitatio
legislatio ,
a gui g
that
it
could
disadva tage
states
that
had
successfully
impleme ted
populatio -co t ol
measu es.”This
bill
effectively
chokes
states
that
have
successfully
impleme ted
populatio
co t ol,”
Ve ugopal
said,
efe i g
to
the
p oposed
legislatio .O
the
FCRA
Bill,
seve al
Oppositio
pa ties
have
exp essed
co ce s.
NCP
(SP)
wo ki g
p eside t
Sup iya
Sule
has
called
fo
the
legislatio
to
eithe
be
withd aw
o
efe ed
to
a
Joi t
Pa liame ta y
Committee,
while
DMK
p eside t
MK
Stali
has
also
u ged
the
Ce t e
to
withd aw
it.

The
p oposed
FCRA
legislatio
has
also
d aw
egio al
co ce s.
Mizo am
chief
mi iste
Lalduhoma
said
afte
meeti g
Shah
that
he
had
aised
six
issues
co ce i g
the
Bill
a d
eceived
a
assu a ce
that
the
legislatio
would
ot
be
et ospective.Ve ugopal
fu the
c iticised
the
Ke ala
Police
ove
a
alleged
defamato y
stateme t
by
RSS
ideologue
T
G
Moha das
co ce i g
the
p otests,
sayi g
a
FIR
should
be
followed
by
a
i vestigatio
a d
app op iate
actio .

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