Indian government pauses NGO bill amid Church outcry
The law would grant allow the government to take control of foreign-funded assets when an NGO’s registration is canceled or lapses.
India’s Hindu nationalist-led government paused consideration of a new bill this week after Church leaders and opposition parties argued it would give the authorities excessive powers over NGOs.
The proposed legislation, introduced in the lower house of India’s parliament March 25, would grant the government powers to take control of foreign-funded assets when an NGO’s registration is canceled or lapses.
The legislation triggered alarm especially among Church leaders in Kerala, because the southern state has a large network of Christian schools, hospitals, and charities that depend on funds from outside of India.
Critics argued that under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, the assets of Church-linked NGOs could be seized even for minor administrative lapses.
The government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, insisted it was necessary to enhance transparency in the NGO sector and denied that the powers would be used arbitrarily.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India said in a March 31 memorandum sent to lawmakers that the bill raised serious concerns “about constitutional balance, civil society freedom, and the future of charitable service in India.”
The body, which represents the three main Catholic rites in India, said: “It must be emphasized that when charitable institutions are constrained, the greatest impact is borne not by organizations but by the millions of beneficiaries who depend on them.”
Following the outcry from Christian leaders and opposition politicians, the federal government paused discussion of the bill April 1.
The dispute came as the BJP’s Kerala branch is engaged in a campaign to win legislative assembly seats in four pivotal constituencies in an area known as the Syro-Malabar Belt.
The party has struggled to win support in Kerala since it was founded in 1980 because its Hindu nationalist rhetoric has alienated religious minorities. But in recent years, the BJP has tried to court Kerala’s Christians through house visits and community programs, believing it cannot make significant political inroads in the state with Hindu votes alone.
At the national level, BJP Prime Minister Narendra Modi has held well-publicized meetings with Church leaders.
In 2024, the BJP gained its first member of parliament in the state, partly thanks to its outreach to Christian voters.
In the April 9 Kerala Legislative Assembly election, the party is fielding Christian candidates in four critical Syro-Malabar Belt constituencies: Kanjirappally, Poonjar, Pala, and Thiruvalla.
Following the clash over the NGO bill, the BJP’s Kerala branch is highlighting its support for steps to grant Christians “micro-minority” status.
Christians, who account for roughly 2.5% of India’s approximately 1.45 billion population, are already a “notified” national minority, alongside Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis (Zoroastrians), and Jains.
But the proposed new status could offer benefits such as enhanced protection for Christian institutions and greater access for Christians to welfare schemes, scholarships, and development programs.
Yet “micro-minority” status does not currently exist as a legal category in India and its precise characteristics have not been sharply defined.
According to Kerala’s Mathrubhumi newspaper, the initial demand for “micro-minority” status for Christians came from the Syro-Malabar Church.
Syro-Malabar Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil reportedly formally requested the status at a February meeting with Kiren Rijiju, India’s Minister for Minority Affairs. But some commentators have argued that the designation could ultimately undermine Indian Christians’ interests.
Mathrubhumi reported that the BJP’s central leadership approved a proposal to include “micro-minority” status in the manifesto of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in Kerala.
The manifesto, released March 31, promises to “give micro-minority status to Christians by amending relevant laws” and “ensure equitable access to welfare schemes, scholarships, and community development benefits.”
Meanwhile, the federal government is reportedly still committed to passing the NGO bill in its current form, likely after the Kerala election.