"We want everything to be transparent": DMK's P Wilson calls for wider consultation on FCRA Bill

New Delhi [India], September 18 (ANI): Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP P Wilson on Friday wrote a formal letter to Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) Chairman Sanjay Jaiswal, urging that the panel’s deliberations on the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment (FCRA) Bill, 2026, be conducted with total transparency and backed by extensive, nationwide consultations.
Speaking to ANI, Wilson insisted that the committee must engage directly with key stakeholders across the country rather than limiting its proceedings to the national capital.
"On behalf of the party, I have written a letter to the Chairman as to how the JPC meeting has to be conducted. We wanted the JPC meeting to be transparent, and it should be known very well to the stakeholders. Because after all, it's going to affect the entire organisation. It is going to change the character and nature of the organisations which have been doing yeoman services, including the religious denominations. So we want everything to be transparent, and all stakeholders should be heard," he said.
Wilson underlined that he has urged a wider consultation, urging the panel leadership to weigh all representations thoroughly before commencing formal hearings or finalising recommendations on the bill.
"Wider consultation is also very important; that's what I have emphasised in that letter. There should be a wider consultation, not confined to sitting only in Delhi. So these are all areas where I have asked the Chairman to deliberate on it, and the committee should take a decision, a well-considered decision before it starts going into the hearing of this bill," he said.
Meanwhile, the first meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the FCRA Bill is scheduled to be held today, with representatives of the Ministry of Home Affairs scheduled to brief the panel on the Bill.
The JPC has been tasked with examining the provisions of the Bill and is required to submit its report to Parliament by the last day of the first week of the Winter Session 2026. The quorum for the committee's sittings has been fixed at one-third of its total membership.
The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25. The revised FCRA Rules, 2026 were notified on June 22.
The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act governs the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contributions by individuals, associations and organisations in India. (ANI)