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| Politics
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| Rajasthan Assembly passes ......... |
| Rajasthan Assembly passes Anti-Conversion Bill
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| INDIA
, 20-March-2008
14:0:18 PM |
| Rajasthan Assembly passed the Anti-Conversion Bill by voice vote on Thursday, with Congress party members staging a walkout in order to register protest over the move.
Human rights and minority groups have been opposing the controversial bill in Jaipur. They claim the bill is an assault on their religious freedom, as it makes conversion a non-bailable offence subject to immediate arrest and up to five years in jail.
The groups fear that the bill can be misused to hound minorities.
''Now we won't be able say anything about God or praise our Lord in public because in this bill even a supposed intent to convert can be a cause for arrest. So there's no question of propagating our religion. This is against our fundamental rights under the constitution,'' said Father John Matthew, Pastor, Emmanuel Mission, Jaipur.
The Congress claims that reviving this bill when a similar bill, that was passed two years ago, is still pending with the President seems like an illegal bid to push a saffron agenda for electoral gains.
''When she refused to give this assent as Governor, how can she accept it as President? She has given her clear legal view against this bill. Despite this, their attempt to bring back this bill is a grave attempt to undermine the Constitutional office of the Presidency.
''But the Raje government says it won't tolerate forcible conversions that have now become rampant in the state,'' said C P Joshi, Congress President, Rajasthan
Meanwhile, state ministers cite their own reasons to justify the move.
''In Rajasthan's tribal areas and localities of poor Dalits, all kinds of efforts are being made to tempt or force people to change their religion. We will not tolerate these designs,'' said Madan Dilawar, Social Welfare Minister, Rajasthan.
And with all sides in an uncompromising mood, all eyes are now focused on what view the Rajasthan Governor takes on this controversy.
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