ਇਹਨਾਂ ਗੱਲਾਂ ਤੇ ਲੜਾਈ ਜਾਓ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਨੂੰ ... Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu told the Lok Sabha on Thursday that there should be anti- conversion laws in all States as well as at the Centre. He was speaking in the a discussion on the issue of conversion in the Lok Sabha where the Opposition accused the government of pursuing communal agenda, prompting treasury benches to hit back by charging them with keeping quiet when Hindus are converted under allurement or coercion. Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who had earlier alleged that such conversion may cause riots in country, on Thursday mellowed down his attack on the ruling BJP. He said conversion of Muslims in Agra was hardly an issue in the region and wondered if the discussion was really needed. Initiating the debate, Jyotiraditya Scindia (Congress) alleged that Muslims were promised ration cards to convert to Hinduism and took a jibe at the government, wondering if these were the achchhe din (good days) it had promised. His attack on some Hindutva bodies allegedly affiliated to the BJP drew protests from the ruling party and the Speaker ruled that any reference to outside organisations would be expunged. “What has happened is against the Constitution. They (BJP) are trying to divert people’s attention from issues of black money and price rise by creating polarisation in the society,” he said, referring to recent rows, including the one involving Union Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti. He demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should make a statement on a grave issue like this as these communal problems were not confined to one State. Saugata Roy (Trinamool) took potshots at the BJP, accusing it of causing “religious polarisation” and referred to a ruling party MP’s comment that Nathuram Godse was a patriot like Mahatma Gandhi, whom he had killed. “I thought BJP is for Ram. I got to know that it is for Nathuram...,” he said. “You wanted power, you got power. Now it’s your responsibility to see to it that everybody lives according to Constitution,” Mr. Roy said. Sumedhanand Saraswati (BJP) accused opposition parties of magnifying a “normal incident” and said conversion was started not by Hindus but followers of other religions. Raking up atrocities against Sikhs during Mughal rule and conversion of Hindus to other religions in different parts of the country, he said the BJP has always been against conversion and noted that its governments in Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh brought law against it. Hitting out at opposition parties, he said they did nothing when others indulged in conversion. Speaking on similar lines, Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena) said these parties did not say a word when tribals in large parts of country were converted to Christianity and raked up the controversial issue of “love jihad”, inviting sharp retort from opposition parties. “I condemn their (opposition) attempt to attack Hindutva to appease Muslims,” he said. “Love jihad” is a phrase floated by the BJP and its right- wing affiliates to refer to Muslim men marrying Hindu women in a bid to convert them. Mr. Yadav wondered if members were provoked into discussion by reading newspapers as the issue had no impact in Agra and neighbouring places. “This discussion is unnecessary... It can have a reverse impact,” he said, as some BJP members thumped their desks. The House should pass a resolution against any kind of discrimination, he said. m.thehindu/news/national/opposition-accuses-centre-of-pursuing-communal-agenda/article6683116.ece/?secid=12690
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 07:42:16 +0000
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