Rajya Sabha leader Derek O’Brien on Sunday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the “draconian” legislation proposed by the government on delimitation and amendments to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA).
In his letter dated July 19, O’Brien noted that although no demarcation legislation had appeared in the Parliamentary Bulletin listing government business during the monsoon period, the opposition remained apprehensive due to the government’s “questionable record” in handling important legislation.
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Referring to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Bill, 2019, he claimed that the bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha before the supplementary list of works was circulated to the MPs, and urged the government not to adopt similar “cloak and dagger tactics” on an important issue like delimitation.
O’Brien also referred to the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill and the Delimitation Bill that were introduced in the Lok Sabha on April 16 this year, saying they failed to secure the required two-thirds majority and were invalidated the next day.
Regarding the proposed Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, O’Brien said the legislation, listed for consideration and passage during the monsoon period, would weaken institutions working among the poorest and most marginalized communities in the country.
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He claimed that the proposed amendments would negatively impact thousands of Christian community-run educational institutions and charitable organizations of international repute by imposing excessive executive control over their work.
The TMC Chairman also stressed the need to protect Articles 19 and 26 of the Constitution.
Comparing the three farm laws that were later repealed, O’Brien urged the Prime Minister to convene an all-party meeting before embarking on what he described as another example of “cowboy legislation”.
The issue of border demarcation has emerged as a major political flashpoint, with several opposition parties, especially from southern states, expressing concern that a new practice relying on population figures after 2026 could reduce their proportional representation in parliament despite their success in population control.
The Center stressed that no final decision has been made on the modalities of this process, which cannot begin before the first population census conducted after 2026, as stipulated in the constitutional freeze on border demarcation.
The proposed amendments to the Foreign Contributions (Regulation) Law also sparked criticism from opposition parties and civil society sectors, who asserted that they could further tighten government oversight of non-governmental organizations and charitable foundations that receive foreign funds.
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However, the government stressed that the changes are aimed at ensuring greater transparency and accountability in the use of foreign contributions.
Opposition sources said that TMC MPs will boycott allocating time to discuss the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, in meetings of the Business Advisory Committees (BAC) of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
The sources stated that the party will push to refer the proposed legislation to a parliamentary committee for detailed scrutiny before studying and approving it.
