FCRA amendment ‘draconian ’ move to silence dissent, throttle minorities & seize assets: Ferreira

FCRA amendment ‘draconian ’ move to silence dissent, throttle minorities & seize assets: Ferreira
Panaji: Aldona MLA Adv Carlos Alvares Ferreira has termed the proposed Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, a “draconian legislation” designed to silence government critics, including those from minority communities.
The Congress legislator alleged that the Bill represents another “official loot” of properties and assets belonging to minority charitable institutions, NGOs, news channels, and other bodies that do not “toe the line” of the government.
Ferreira compared the Bill to the Goa Escheats, Forfeiture and Bona Vacantia Act, 2024, which was introduced by the Goa State Government to take over properties with no heirs or those that have been abandoned. He claimed the FCRA Bill is a similar method to “grab properties and jail people.”
“The danger with the Bill is that if your certificate for using foreign funding is not renewed—either by refusal or not being processed in time by the Central Government—your registration will cease and your property will vest with the designated authority. It also includes the seizing of assets, regardless of whether the property was acquired fully or partly using foreign funds, or even if it was not acquired using such funds at all,” he said.
He further said, “Under the FCRA Bill, you will not be allowed rectifications. If all your assets are frozen, you cannot fight cases without money; your property is attached and you will end up in jail. As per the amendment, the Central Government can also pick and choose whom, where, and when to prosecute or persecute. Furthermore, the law will have a retrospective effect.”
The new FCRA Bill applies to the whole of India, Indian citizens abroad, and overseas branches. It covers NGOs, charitable hospitals, private old-age homes, church bodies running institutes and schools, religious minorities, and missionaries receiving foreign aid, as well as news channels.
“A person who was responsible at the time the offence was committed—even 10 years ago—may have changed jobs, retired, or be bedridden, yet this law will bring you back to stand for prosecution,” Ferreira added.
The MLA described the move as a draconian attempt to “finish off” minorities and political opponents of the BJP through “legalised land grab.”
“This Bill is aimed at choking the opposition, choking dissent, and shutting down NGOs and social organisations critical of the government. It targets missions, missionaries, charitable hospitals, and news agencies that do not follow the government line. Such laws are reminiscent of Hitler’s era. This is nothing but Emergency by the backdoor,” he said.
Drawing a historical parallel, he said: “The Nazi Germany slogan was ‘if you are with Hitler, you are with Germany’. Similarly, it now means that if you are with Modi, all your crimes are overlooked and washed away, but if you are not, you are against India and will be jailed while your property is confiscated. This is how the BJP wants to finish off democracy in our nation. The Government will claim it is seeking to flush out money brought in for illegal purposes, but existing laws are enough to tackle that.”
Ferreira called for a collective stance against such laws which he believes are stifling the voices of dissent in a democracy.
“It is time to rise up and express our voices so that the government can listen to reason and follow the democratic values enshrined in the Constitution, instead of trampling upon the rights and freedoms of citizens. The Bill is unconstitutional against minorities as it will affect fundamental rights,” he said.