NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule opposes FCRA Bill, seeks JPC review

Sharad Pawarled Nationalist Congress Party NCP SP working president Supriya Sule has opposed the Foreign Contribution Regulation Amendment Bill 2026 in its current form saying foreign funding should not automatically be viewed with suspicion She urged the Centre either to withdraw the Bill or refer it to a Joint Parliamentary Committee JPC for detailed scrutiny reported the PTISule said all political parties should get an opportunity to discuss the proposed legislation amid reports that the Bill could be taken up for discussion and passage in Parliament next weekSpeaking to reporters in Mumbai on Saturday Sule said her party disagreed with the Bill in its present formShe said that if the government was unwilling to withdraw it the legislation should be sent to a JPC so that its provisions could be discussed in detailIn a strong democracy merely opposing something is not enough we also have to sit together and discuss it Sule said the news agency reportedShe cautioned the Centre against rushing the legislation through Parliament without wider consultationForeign funding should not always be viewed with suspicionSule said foreign contributions could be used for legitimate purposes including medical and educational workShe said action should be taken when foreign funds are linked to illegal activities such as drug trafficking or terrorism but argued that all foreignfunded organisations should not automatically be viewed negativelyThere are organisations such as the Gates Foundation and USAID that have been doing good work for many years Why should we look at every foreignfunded organisation with a bad eye she said according to the PTISule also compared foreign contributions with money sent to India by Indians living abroad saying foreign money cannot always be treated with suspicionWhat the FCRA Bill proposesThe proposed FCRA legislation seeks to establish a framework for the vesting supervision management and disposal of foreign contributions and assets through a designated authorityThe Bill provides for both provisional and permanent vesting of such contributions and assetsCritics of the proposed changes have argued that the legislation could go beyond regulating foreign contributions and give the government greater control over independent organisationsAsked about the proposed delimitation legislation Sule said it would be premature to comment as the Bill had not yet been introducedShe said the NCP SP would discuss the legislation with its alliance partners once the details were availableWhen it comes we will discuss every Bill with our alliance partners she saidWelcomes Bhagwats comments on young peopleSule also welcomed recent remarks by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat about the younger generationShe said political parties should listen to young people and take their concerns seriouslyI thank RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for recognising how honest this new generation is I welcome his statement I would be happy if the BJP also listens to what he has said she said as per the PTISule said young people were increasingly willing to speak openly because many of them were not dependent on the government for jobs contracts or other benefitsShe claimed that educated young people could express their views freely because they had fewer institutional or professional interests that could influence their opinionsCriticism of Maharashtra governments farm loan waiverSule also accused the Maharashtra government of taking an electionfocused approach to policy decisions particularly in relation to assistance for farmersWhen elections come decisions are taken with both hands open Once elections are over and they are in power they hold their hands tight she saidHer remarks came amid criticism from the Opposition over the governments farm loan waiver schemeThe Maharashtra Cabinet had approved changes to the latest scheme including the removal of some eligibility conditions and the earlier Rs 50000 upper limit linked to beneficiaries of the 2019 waiverSule questions decisions over NCP and Shiv SenaSule also spoke about the ongoing legal disputes over the ownership and control of the NCP and Shiv SenaOn the Shiv Sena dispute she questioned how a political party could be handed over to another faction when its founder Bal Thackeray had identified Uddhav Thackeray as his successorShe argued that the constitution and organisational structure of a political party should be considered when determining who controls itThe Supreme Court is continuing to hear the challenge filed by the Uddhav Thackerayled faction against the Election Commissions decision recognising the Eknath Shindeled faction as the real Shiv SenaThe NCP SP and Shiv Sena UBT are partners in the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi allianceRaises concerns over NCP legal disputeSule also referred to the legal dispute over the NCP which split into two factionsShe said Sharad Pawar whom she described as the founder president of the NCP had faced injustice and alleged that the proceedings had been delayedWe have been asking for a date for a long time but why are we not getting a date she saidSule also criticised what she described as the selective use of investigative and other institutions against Opposition parties warning that such practices could have longterm consequencesCalls gungi gudiya remark inappropriateSule criticised the use of the phrase gungi gudiya in reference to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra PawarShe described the remark as inappropriate and said she had spoken to Congress leaders about it as per the PTISule said the Congress leadership had clarified within half an hour that the statement made locally on social media in Maharashtra did not represent the partys official positionShe said political disagreements should not turn into personal attacks or insulting remarksBigger economic challenges need attentionSule called for political parties to move beyond personal attacks and focus on wider economic concerns facing the country and MaharashtraShe said the country was facing bigger economic challenges that required attention from political leadersSule also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to meet NCP SP MPs on Monday to discuss issues concerning their constituenciesShe attributed the need for such a meeting to the fact that Parliament is not functioningThe meeting is expected to provide the MPs an opportunity to raise constituencylevel concerns directly with the Prime Ministerwith PTI inputs