Aizawl: The Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has reiterated its demand that the state government convene a special session of the Assembly to adopt an official resolution opposing the proposed Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) Amendment Bill.
The party also urged Chief Minister Lalduhoma to take proactive leadership in opposing the bill rather than leaving the responsibility solely to local church bodies.
Speaking to reporters at a press conference, Congress leaders led by general secretary Lalbiakzama said that although they welcomed the Chief Minister’s recent meeting with church leaders, during which both sides decided to submit a memorandum to the Centre regarding the proposed legislation, the party believed the state government should lead the official opposition to the bill.
“Rather than using church leaders as a front, the Mizoram Government and our Chief Minister must take the lead to fulfil the demands of the people,” the Congress leaders said.
The Congress recalled its Black Day protest on July 21 against the FCRA Amendment Bill, alleging that it was aimed at curbing the rights and activities of Christian organisations.
The party said the growing concern among the Mizo people and churches over the proposed legislation underscored the need for a united response from the state government.
Reiterating the demands made during the protest, the MPCC called on the government to immediately convene a special session of the Assembly and adopt a resolution rejecting the proposed amendment.
It also urged Chief Minister Lalduhoma to personally lead a delegation comprising church leaders, political parties and civil society organisations to New Delhi to convey Mizoram’s opposition to the Centre.
The party further urged the state’s Members of Parliament to actively oppose the bill during parliamentary debates and vote against its passage.
Mizoram has one member each in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, and both MPs belong to the ruling Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), which is neither part of the Congress-led INDIA bloc nor the BJP-led NDA.
The Congress alleged that the NDA government is increasingly using regulatory hurdles and flimsy pretexts under FCRA rules to disrupt foreign aid meant for Christian organisations and charitable institutions in the region.
The party described the proposed amendment as part of a broader ideological push that mischaracterises Christian missionary work in the Northeast as forced conversion.
The opposition party also raised concerns over other proposed central legislative measures, including proposals requiring the mandatory singing or standing for “Vande Mataram”, arguing that the song includes verses praising Hindu deities and that making it compulsory at official functions would infringe upon the religious freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.
Although the song has been sung in the past, Mahatma Gandhi and Congress leaders had ensured that the verses praising Hindu goddesses were omitted, the Congress leaders said.
Warning against what it described as socio-political encroachment, the Congress urged civil society and the people of Mizoram to unite in challenging the proposed FCRA amendment through constitutional and legal means, maintaining that the party remains committed to defending state autonomy, religious freedom and communal harmony.