Thiruvananthapuram, April 7 Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said on Tuesday that the proposed FCRA amendment bill was "dangerous" and that the timing of introducing it, in the middle of the Kerala Assembly elections, was "absurd," as the BJP was trying to reach out to the Christian community.
Describing the bill as "dangerous" and its provisions as "bizarre," Tharoor said it allows the Centre to seize anything built by an entity using foreign funds if the central government decides not to renew its FCRA license, or delays the renewal, or even cancels it.
"This means they can take over your churches, your schools, your hospitals, your orphanages. This is a complete violation of natural justice. How can the government, which has not contributed to any of these—either their construction or their operation—assume the right to take over these institutions, dispose of them, and keep the proceeds? That, to me, is completely bizarre," he said.
He said that the Centre can regulate and supervise someone's right to receive foreign funds, but it cannot confiscate assets that are not its own.
"That is called expropriation in law, and that is completely illegal. So, to make it legal by passing a law like this is frankly unacceptable," said Tharoor, the Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram.
He said that non-renewal of the license under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) means that in the future, that entity or group cannot receive funds from abroad.
"It does not give any government the right to retrospectively seize properties that have actually been built and run without any government involvement for the welfare of society," he said.
The Congress Working Committee member said that the implications of such a bill were "truly grave for the country and for the rights of minorities" that have built institutions to perform social service.
He said that many people, including himself, have been beneficiaries of the social service provided by the church and organizations run by them.
"There are orphanages that have catered to non-Christian children. There are hospitals that have catered to patients from every community. I think it is absolutely unacceptable that such institutions and hospitals and schools should be taken over by a government for no other reason than they decided not to renew a license," he asserted.
Tharoor said that he was glad that the central government has seen the wisdom of holding back the amendments for now.
Pointing out that the Centre has not withdrawn the bill, he said that the central government has, in theory, the right to reintroduce it again when the elections in Kerala are over.
"We hope they won't do it. We hope that at the very least, they will send it to a select committee or a standing committee to study it in detail," he said.
The FCRA Amendment Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25 by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, seeks to enhance transparency and ensure proper utilization of foreign funds, while preventing their misuse against national security and interests.