FCRA Bill row: Rijiju counters Vijayan, slams Congress vote bank politics

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju countered Keralam CM Pinarayi Vijayan's criticism of the FCRA Bill, stating minorities are better cared for now. He accused Congress of vote bank politics and assured that only illegal FCRA accounts would be affected.

Rijiju Defends Bill, Slams Congress

Amid criticism from Keralam Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday asserted that minorities are receiving greater attention under the Government of India. He accused the Congress of treating Muslims as a vote bank and clarified that only illegal FCRA accounts would be impacted by the proposed changes.

Speaking to ANI, Rijiju said, "I am the Minority Affairs Minister. Before PM Modi became the prime minister, the minorities in the country were being ignored. Congress used to treat the minorities, particularly the Muslim community, as its vote bank. The micro minorities are also being given due importance under our govt. I want to tell the Muslim community that Congress is treating their community as a vote bank, which is harmful for Muslims. Why should they become a vote bank of one party? We are for everybody. Only the illegal FCRA accounts will be affected."

CM Vijayan Criticises 'Severe' Measure

Earlier on Thursday, Pinarayi Vijayan strongly criticised the FCRA Amendment Bill, calling it a "severe" measure which increases anxiety among minority communities. The Bill provides for the cessation of the FCRA certificate of an organisation upon expiry, non-renewal or refusal of renewal by the government. The amendments also establish a designated authority for "a comprehensive framework for vesting, supervision, management and disposal of foreign contribution and assets, including provisional and permanent vesting." The Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25, seeks to amend the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, with the stated objective of enhancing transparency and accountability of foreign contributions in India. However, CM Vijayan alleged that the Bill views a section of society with suspicion.

"The stance on FCRA has already been made clear earlier. This is a country where all its people must be taken into confidence; viewing a section of the population with suspicion is in no way beneficial. However, the current situation in our country is that there is deep concern among certain sections of people, especially among the minority communities. This did not arise at a specific moment; it has been ongoing for some time. The positions taken [by the Centre] have not been ones that alleviate these concerns. Only measures that increase anxiety have come from the government's side, and the aforementioned FCRA is the most severe among them," the Chief Minister said. (ANI)

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