Congress general secretary KC Venugopal on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding the immediate withdrawal of the newly notified Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Rules, 2026, alleging that the Centre was attempting to bring in “draconian controls” on NGOs and minority-run institutions through the “back door” after its proposed amendments to the law failed to make headway in Parliament.
In his letter to the PM, Venugopal said the new rules were “an overt and systemic assault on India’s civil society” and were “designed not to regulate, but to strangle the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that form the backbone of our grassroots developmental and social welfare frameworks”.
“The latest amendments reflect a disturbing intent to micromanage, harass and financially cripple the voluntary sector,” the Congress leader wrote, claiming that they would impose severe financial burdens on organisations and restrict their ability to function independently.
Objecting to the revised administrative expenditure limits, Venugopal said the changes “reflect a rigid governmental mindset and restricting their operational geography destroys the very flexibility that allows these organisations to respond to on-ground realities and emergencies”.
He further argued that the financial penalties envisaged under the rules would disproportionately affect smaller organisations.
