Supriya Sule said foreign funding should not automatically be treated with suspicion NEW DELHI: NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule on Saturday opposed the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 in its present form, urging the Centre either to withdraw the proposed legislation or refer it to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for wider discussion.Sule, the Lok Sabha MP from Baramati, said all political parties should be given an opportunity to examine the contentious legislation before Parliament takes it up for consideration. She cautioned the government against rushing the bill through Parliament, amid reports that it could be discussed and passed next week.“We reject and disagree with the present form of the FCRA bill. If the government is not ready to withdraw the bill, then it should send it to a JPC. In a strong democracy, merely opposing something is not enough; we also have to sit together and discuss it,” she said.The proposed legislation seeks to establish a designated authority for the vesting, supervision, management and disposal of foreign contributions and assets in cases involving cancellation, surrender or expiry of an organisation’s FCRA registration.The bill also provides for provisional and permanent vesting of such assets.Critics have argued that the proposed changes could give the government greater control over organisations receiving foreign contributions.
‘Foreign funding cannot always be viewed with suspicion’
Sule said foreign funding should not automatically be treated with suspicion, arguing that overseas contributions can support legitimate work in areas such as healthcare and education.She said action should be taken if foreign funds are linked to illegal activities such as drug trafficking or terrorism, but questioned the rationale for viewing every foreign-funded organisation negatively.“There are organisations such as the Gates Foundation and USAID that have been doing good work for many years. Why should we look at every foreign-funded organisation with a bad eye?” she said.She also compared foreign funding with money sent home by Indians living abroad, arguing that the source of money alone should not determine whether it is viewed negatively.According to official figures, 13,520 entities received foreign remittances totalling Rs 55,741 crore between 2019 and 2022.As of July 15, 2026, there were 14,449 active FCRA registrations, while 22,498 registrations had been cancelled and 15,212 had expired.The FCRA regulates the receipt and utilisation of foreign contributions by NGOs, charitable institutions, educational bodies, religious trusts and other organisations.
Sule backs youth protests, questions party symbol decisions
Sule also commented on the ongoing protests by students, saying young people should not face such treatment while seeking education.“What happened at Jantar Mantar should not happen anywhere in the country. Our children want to study and this is happening to them. I read that ministers from Jharkhand have ordered an inquiry into it,” she said.She also backed Uddhav Thackeray in the dispute over the Shiv Sena’s name and election symbol, arguing that party organisations and constitutions should be considered while deciding control of political parties.On the NCP dispute, Sule said the legal battle remained unresolved and alleged that her party had been waiting for a hearing.“Sharad Pawar is the founder president of the NCP and injustice has been done to him. We have been asking for a date for a long time, but why are we not getting a date?” she said.
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Sule also criticised the Maharashtra government’s approach to farm loan waivers and called for political criticism to remain focused on issues rather than becoming personal.On the proposed delimitation legislation, Sule said it would be premature to comment before the bill was introduced. She added that the NCP (SP) would discuss the legislation with its alliance partners once it came before Parliament.Sule further said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to meet NCP (SP) MPs on Monday to discuss issues concerning their constituencies, amid the opposition’s contention that Parliament was not functioning properly.
