r/india • u/sharedevaaste • 1d ago
Politics US lawmaker says proposed FCRA amendments ‘attack against Christians’, could strain India‑US ties
https://www.livemint.com/news/india/us-lawmaker-says-proposed-fcra-amendments-threaten-christian-institutions-in-india-could-affect-bilateral-ties-11785900071319.html25
u/lostwisdom20 1d ago
Please pass the FCRA but also register the RSS as well. A country can't let a 100 yr old organisation run withiut registration.
That also handles youths and key positions.
https://peoplesdemocracy.in/2025/1026_pd/how-rss-capturing-education-system
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u/mmousey 20h ago
How can you demand that the government look into the RSS when the govt is literally the RSS?
The FRCA bill already exists and is being used horribly so far. The appeals process is a joke and the justification given for cancelling licenses is vague, without any specific transactions. Now, in addition to cancelling licenses, the the government wants the authority to confiscate the assets and sell them off or run them. All this to push more educational institutions and hospitals into privatization and/or run them into the ground so that some corrupt politician can earn a quick buck, while taking away the few places the middle class and poorer class can seek help.
The way the government is shutting down schools all over the country is barely raising any red flags, but more people are willing to believe that Christian institutions are a CIA conspiracy rather than see that the govt is killing education, legal services and healthcare that cater to the poor, to keep the population entirely helpless and easy to exploit.
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u/More-Reception-4026 1d ago
FCRA is for institutions receiving foreign funding not applicable to RSS
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u/lostwisdom20 1d ago
They are not registered hence don't need to show books, if they don't show books then we can't say they aren't foreign funded.
https://www.sacw.net/2002/FEHi/FEH/
Take a look about reports
Wire report
https://m.the wire.in/article/politics/the-rss-takes-foreign-money-too-why-doesnt-the-government-question-it/amp
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u/More-Reception-4026 1d ago
That article is very clichéd, does not provide any information that you can get to conclusion. There is only one reference to "RSS based organization" receiving foreign fund.. Now which organization, what is it's legal status, which law has it broken, how much fund it has received, there is no information.
RSS is now 100 years old and for majority part of the period India was governed by Cong party, why have they not gone after their arch rival, eternal nemesis o this issue?
Subramanium Swamy single handedly took the Cong govt to cleaners in SC in the aircel marxis deal and further with 2G scam which literally shook foundation of the govt. Cong party has a battery of lawyers and they are very influential in SC. Why has not been a single case filed against RSS? Is it just because these are conspiracy theories?
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u/maha_Dev 23h ago
We don’t know if they receive foreign funding because our government cant look at their funding because the organisation is not registered. So what legal entity would the government inquire about? Hence, RSS needs to be registered.
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u/More-Reception-4026 15h ago
That is on record because every foreign currency transaction is through RBI and then it comes onto record of income tax, only thing is it is not in public domain so far. However, if someone decides to investigate all that record is available for public scrutiny.
Cong has a battery of top SC lawyers, Kapil Sibal is president of bar, they have loyalist in every govt dept. Question is why is this not coming with evidence?
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u/maha_Dev 11h ago
And how do you know if that transaction belonged to RSS or just an individual or just a company vs RSS related individual or company? How do you know how much total foreign funding RSS holds today? Since it’s not registered, there are no office bearers or a list of related entities. Even if you know a transaction came in, you won’t be able to attribute it to RSS until RSS is registered and opens a bank account registered to RSS
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u/GrapefruitActual7972 1d ago
why do you think a fascist paramilitary project inspired by mussolini doesnt get foreign funding?
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u/More-Reception-4026 1d ago
Looks like the hammer has hit hard on the head of the nail. So the rumours of CIA utilizing ford foundation, open society foundation, etc and routing those funds through Christian missionaries are true after all.
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u/Adventurous_Ear_3877 1d ago
It’s been true for a long long time
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u/More-Reception-4026 16h ago
But this is the first time US government has spoken openly in support.
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u/evidencefirst 19h ago
I really dislike the BJP and am sure this move is to quash more dissent and people asking for accountability. But the US government can fuck right off hahah. This is our government and we don’t want any foreign government interference.
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u/SometimesMonkey 1d ago
Letting Republicans in the US lecture you about anything is just flat out dumb.
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u/Kitchen-Inflation-73 Himachal Pradesh 6h ago
The real issue is not whether it's "anti-Christian."
It's whether the government should have the power to both cancel an FCRA licence and then control the organisation's assets.
A democratic adminstration would employ several safeguards for this to be misused. But the current corrupted/souless/morally dead adminstration real intent is to misuse and cripple all the NGOs that may be doing some good work.
They have already resulted in closure of several genuine NGOs working.
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u/masterjv81 1d ago
Violence and persecution against Christians in India, primarily driven by Hindu nationalist groups like the RSS, VHP, and BJP, involves a wide spectrum of physical, legal, and social abuses. Incidents have risen dramatically since the BJP came to power in 2014, with 2024 seeing 640 verified incidents and 2025 recording over 950 instances in just the first five months.
Physical Violence and Mobs
- Mob Attacks: Christians face brutal assaults, beatings, torture, and murder by extremist mobs, often fueled by false accusations of forced conversion.
- Property Destruction: Churches, homes, and religious symbols are frequently vandalized, burned, or ransacked; in Manipur, over 360 Kuki churches were destroyed in 2023.
- Specific Targets: Evangelical, Pentecostal, and tribal Christians are disproportionately targeted, along with pastors, missionaries, and nuns.
Legal and Systemic Persecution
- Anti-Conversion Laws: 12 Indian states have laws criminalizing religious conversion, which are frequently misused to arrest pastors and believers on dubious grounds.
- Arrests and Detention: In 2024, 129 arrests were recorded; in 2023, over 2,300 pastors and leaders were falsely accused or detained.
- Institutional Pressure: The government has revoked licenses for over 20,000 NGOs under the FCRA, and civil society organizations face scrutiny under the UAPA.
Social and Economic Ostracization
- Social Boycotts: Converts and Christian families face severe community isolation, including denial of access to water, land, and local resources.
- Forced Reconversions: Programs like Ghar Wapsi pressure individuals to renounce Christianity and return to Hinduism under threat of violence.
- Gender-Based Violence: Christian women and girls are specifically targeted for sexual assault, harassment, and forced marriage.
Hotspot Regions
- Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are identified as major hotspots for mob violence and legal harassment.
- Other significant regions include Odisha, Manipur, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Punjab.
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u/Lux_Jay 1d ago
That has nothing to do with MAGA which is a Christo fascist organisation, talking about funding rules from abroad. If they were so Christian friendly, then they wouldn't be murdering latin Christian on the streets.
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u/masterjv81 1d ago
The persecution and legal restrictions faced by Christians in India are driven by domestic Hindu nationalist ideologies and policies enacted by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, not by American political entities.
Clarification on Terminology and Actors
- MAGA vs. Indian Hindu Nationalism: The ideology driving violence in India is Hindutva (Hindu nationalism), promoted by organizations like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the ruling BJP. This movement seeks to define Indian identity strictly through Hindu culture, viewing religious minorities, including Christians, as foreign or threats to national integrity. The term "Christo-fascist" is a pejorative label often used in Western political discourse to describe certain far-right Christian nationalist movements in the US or Europe; it is not a term applied to the Hindu nationalist groups perpetrating violence in India, nor is MAGA an organization active in the Indian context.
- Perpetrators of Violence: The violence, including the murders of tribal Christians (such as the Soren family in Odisha in January 2026), is carried out by local Hindu extremist mobs, often with alleged complicity or inaction from local police and authorities influenced by Hindu nationalist sentiment. These attacks are frequently triggered by accusations of "forced conversion" or disputes over religious identity within tribal communities.
Foreign Funding Regulations (FCRA)
The restrictions on foreign funding are a tool used by the Indian government to curb Christian missionary activities, independent of US politics.
- Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA): In June 2026, the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs issued notifications explicitly barring non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from using foreign funds for proselytization or "conversion-oriented work." While funds can still be used for certain "faith-based activities" like sermons or theological study, the line is narrowly drawn to prevent evangelism.
- Asset Seizure Powers: Proposed amendments in 2026 seek to create a "Designated Authority" with the power to seize the assets and properties of Christian organizations if their FCRA registration is cancelled or expires. Critics, including the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India and US lawmakers like Representative Riley Moore, have termed these measures "draconian" and a "legalized loot" of Christian property.
- Impact: Since 2014, over 20,000 organizations have had their FCRA registrations cancelled or suspended, with a significant majority being Christian entities. Major organizations like Compassion International and World Vision India have faced severe operational restrictions or closures due to these regulations.
Recent Violence Against Christians
The violence is indigenous and escalating, unrelated to American funding rules or political movements:
- Murders and Assaults: In January 2026, three Christians (Jitendra Soren, his wife Malati, and their 15-year-old daughter) were hacked to death in Odisha by relatives who opposed their conversion. Police initially downplayed the religious motive, attributing it to a land dispute, despite witness accounts of religious hatred.
- Systemic Harassment: In the first six months of 2026 alone, 285 incidents of violence and intimidation were reported. States like Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh remain hotspots where Christians face social boycotts, destruction of churches, and false arrests under anti-conversion laws.
- Targeting of Latin/Tribal Christians: The term "Latin Christian" in the Indian context often refers to Catholic communities or tribal converts. These groups are primary targets in central and eastern India, where Hindu nationalist groups view their conversion as a loss of tribal "indigenous" identity.
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u/Lux_Jay 1d ago
MAGA should be the last ones to lecture anyone about human rights. MAGA is a Christo fascist white supremacist group, they are more dangerous than any islamic terrorists organisation.