On 27th September, Congress MP from Meghalaya’s Tura constituency, Saleng Sangma, said that he sought the intervention of foreign countries in the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, or the FCRA Amendment Bill, which is currently under consideration by Parliament’s Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).
Speaking to Northeast Live about the Bill, Congress MP Saleng Sangma admitted that he reached out to representatives from the United States, Australia, South Korea, England, Mexico, and African countries regarding the proposed FCRA legislation. The Congress MP said that he approached the representatives to exert pressure on the Indian government to withdraw the Bill.
“I asked some delegates from the USA, Australia, Korea, England, Mexico and the African countries to send some kind of appeal to the government of India to do away with this (the FCRA Bill),” Sangma said. “I have myself requested (representatives) from all over the world; I asked Robert Pittenger from the USA and several other dignitaries from other countries to appeal to our government to do away with this particular amendment,” he added.
Sangma said that he also met President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President CP Radhakrishnan and several Union ministers and expressed his concerns regarding the Bill.
Meghalaya Congress MP Saleng Sangma Seeks International Appeals Against FCRA Amendment Bill#FCRA #AmendmentBill #foreigngroups #intervention #CongressMP #meghalaya #northeastlive pic.twitter.com/U9Dy8kJlO0
— Northeast Live (@NELiveTV) September 27, 2026
The Opposition, including the Congress party, has been vehemently opposing the FCRA amendment bill, which was ironically introduced by a Congress government. Despite the government’s clarification that the Bill seeks to regulate foreign funds entering the country to protect national security, the Opposition led by the Congress has been fearmongering about the bill and portraying it as an anti-minority legislation.
Congress’ pattern of seeking foreign intervention
This is not the first time that a Congress leader has sought the intervention of foreign countries in the internal matters of the country. This is a preferred tactic of Congress politicians who place party politics above national interests and the country’s sovereignty.
Similar political opportunism was displayed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi last year, when he sided with the US government to attack the Modi government. Gandhi mocked PM Modi, saying that he could not stand before the US President because of an ongoing US investigation against the Adani Group, India’s leading business group. The Congress scion legitimised the politically motivated US investigation against the Adani Group and insinuated some foul play on the part of the Indian conglomerate.
Gandhi is also known for repeatedly insulting and putting down India during his visits to foreign countries. Failing to resonate with Indian voters, the Congress heir is often seen appealing to foreign governments to interfere in the country, in the hope of toppling the Modi government, which he has been unable to achieve electorally. During his visit to the UK in 2022, Gandhi presented a false and poor picture of India by claiming that the country was highly unstable and that a civil war was impending in it.
The Congress leadership seems to have accepted that they would not be able to replace the BJP at the centre through a fair election process, and therefore their leaders are repeatedly seen appealing to foreign governments to intervene in the country’s internal matters and change the current BJP government. A similar appeal was made by senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar in 2015 when speaking to a Pakistani TV anchor; he called for the removal of the then newly-elected Modi government and replacing it with the Congress government.
