CHENNAI: The Centre brought the FCRA Bill targeting the properties of Christians and there can be no obvious national security interest in the intention to divest the minorities of their properties, DMK Rajya Sabha MP P Wilson claimed here on Saturday.
The Centre's intention of introducing the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment (FCRA) Bill was to target Christians during Easter, causing them to be apprehensive, the senior advocate further claimed.
Condemning the FCRA Bill, 2026, introduced by the Modi government, he alleged that the sole objective was to target the Christian missionaries, NGOs and Churches. "The provision on retrospective divesting of properties is draconian, similar to staging robbery at gun point in the house," Wilson told reporters.
The move came at a time when the Christians were observing Easter and it not only hurt their feelings but also caused fear, he claimed, and wondered what the national security interest the government saw in taking over Christian-run institutions, including educational institutions, hospitals and orphanages.
Chief Minister M K Stalin, who has already taken up the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will not allow the amendment to be passed, he said.
The FCRA Amendment Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25 by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, seeks to enhance transparency and ensure proper utilisation of foreign funds, while preventing their misuse against national security and interests.
Wilson claimed that in a "calculated move" from 2014, the BJP "cut funding of Christian missions and churches by foreign benefactors."
Unlike the land acquisition laws which provided due process, this amendment facilitated the instant confiscation of vital assets such as schools, colleges, hospitals, and orphanages, thereby preventing the poor, regardless of their religious affiliation, from benefiting from these services, he alleged.
"Since 2014, the Modi government has been deliberately working to dismantle these organisations, citing the cancellation of over 20,000 charitable institution licenses, including 2,500 Christian ones in 2020, often under the pretext of national security," the senior advocate claimed.
Although the current bill related to these amendments was postponed due to elections, fears persist that it will be passed later, but the DMK has vowed to oppose it in Parliament, he said.
The MP said in the past the government had targeted Muslim Waqf properties.
He said that Christian missionaries have historically played a significant role in education and social welfare, particularly in India's tribal regions.