"FCRA Bill should never have been introduced": SP MP Ram Gopal Yadav

New Delhi [India], August 12 (ANI): Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav on Wednesday opposed the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, saying that the bill should not have been introduced, arguing that NGOs have played a major role in providing education and other services in tribal and economically disadvantaged areas.
Speaking to ANI, Yadav said that the voluntary organisations and missionaries had carried out extensive work in areas such as Jharkhand and Gujarat's Dang region.
"This bill should never have been brought. The amount of work done by NGOs in Jharkhand, Gujarat's Dang area, and other tribal areas in the country has not been done by many governments till now," Yadav said.
He said that the restrictions affecting such organisations can impact poor people and children who depend on them for education and other facilities.
"Stopping this means that millions of poor people and children will be deprived of education and various other facilities," the SP MP said.
On the Ram temple issue, Yadav said that it would continue to remain a political and public issue.
"Samajwadi Party and the united Opposition raised the Ram Mandir issue prominently within the Parliament complex. This issue has already reached every household. This issue will remain; it cannot be set aside," he said.
Yadav also commented on the Air India Phuket-Delhi flight that encountered severe turbulence on August 4, after several passengers were reportedly injured.
Calling the incident "very serious", Yadav questioned the circumstances surrounding the incident and referred to reports concerning the drug test of the pilot.
The remarks come amid discussions in Parliament over the FCRA amendments, while the Opposition has raised concerns over the implications of changes governing foreign contributions to organisations operating in India.
The FCRA regulates the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contributions by individuals, associations and organisations in the country and seeks to ensure that such contributions are used for the purposes for which they are received.
The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25 and is currently under consideration of Parliament. The revised FCRA Rules, 2026 were notified on June 22 and are in force. (ANI)