Rajasthan 'anti-religious conversion bill' likely to be discussed
Jaipur (PTI): The BJP government in Rajasthan is all set to take up
an anti-religious conversion bill in the ongoing assembly session
for discussion and passage on March 20 despite strong reservations
on it by Opposition Congress.
The Congress has warned that it would protest inside the House and
on the streets as the bill, reintroduced by the government, was
a "hidden Hindu agenda to appease RSS in the state assembly
elections slated later this year".
The Raje government has introduced a fresh bill, the Rajasthan
Dharma Swatantrya Bill, 2008, last week with some changes as the
earlier measure, passed by the Assembly through a voice vote on
April 7, 2006, was still pending with President Pratibha Patil for
assent.
Patil, who was the then Governor of Rajasthan, had returned it with
objections in certain clauses to the assembly. Later in 2007, the
Raje cabinet had "re-submitted" the bill to the Governor for
approval, but Patil had referred it to the then President A P J
Abdul Kalama with her remarks.
"The 2006 bill is still pending with the President. Let that be
decided or returned. It was only after that the BJP government
should have thought of reintroducing the bill on the same matter,"
Congress Chief Whip Juber Khan told PTI.
"It appears that the BJP government is working on the hidden Hindu
agenda to appease RSS in the Vidhan Sabha elections slated later
this year in the state," Khan said.
