Though the Indian Hindu nationalist government was prepared to discuss a controversial amendment on foreign donations in the Indian Parliament on April 1, vociferous opposition protests inside the legislature, along with public opposition — including by Catholic Church leadership — forced the government to postpone the bill until the next session in July.
The BJP government's backing-off from the amendment to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act was promptly welcomed by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI).
The CBCI had mailed a protest letter on March 31 to Amit Shah, the home minister of India who handles the sensitive subject of foreign donations, calling for the "referral of the Bill to a Parliamentary Standing Committee for wider consultation"
The bill provides for setting up a government authority to seize properties bought or developed on foreign funds if the government license is canceled or not renewed.
The CBCI letter argued that it was essential "to ensure that administrative lapses do not lead to disproportionate penalties such as asset seizure."
With the Christian heartland of southern Kerala going to the polls on April 9 to choose its new assembly, ruling Communists and opposition leaders joined senior bishops holding news conferences dubbing the amendment as "draconian, barbaric and undemocratic."
The Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council held an emergency online meeting March 31 and sent a powerful letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing "deep concern regarding certain provisions" within the proposed amendment
"The amendments, as presently understood, may create possibilities for misuse of authority, which could adversely impact many voluntary organizations, non-governmental organizations, and auxiliary institutions — including places of worship — that have been established over decades for public service, irrespective of caste or religion," the Kerala bishops cautioned.
More than 18% of Kerala's 37 million residents are Christians.
The bishops asked Modi to refer the amendment bill "to the appropriate Parliamentary Subject Committee for further study, stakeholder consultation, and detailed discussion."
"We are relieved now that the bill has been postponed and it will certainly provide an opportunity to address our concerns," Father Thomas Tharayil, the deputy secretary of the Kerala bishops, told EWTN News April 2 from Kochi.
Contribution act licenses of several dioceses, congregations and charitable organizations have been "cancelled without any proper reason," Tharayil said.
Since the BJP came into power in 2014, thousands of licenses of church and Christian social action groups have been cancelled or not renewed along with those of secular advocacy groups, including international nonprofits like Amnesty International, Bread for the World and Greenpeace.
The FCRA Online dashboard of the government gives details of the curbing of the license with nearly two-thirds of around 50,000 accounts either cancelled or not renewed.
The BJP government in 2020, meanwhile, made it mandatory that all licensees open a designated "FCRA Account" only at the main New Delhi branch of the government-controlled State Bank of India.
An online campaign to revise the controversial bill has drawn thousands of signatures. The campaign argues that foreign donations "play a crucial role in supporting development projects in India, with billions of dollars in aid helping to alleviate poverty, support education, and improve public health."
