Bihar: BJP demands more stringent anti-conversion law

PATNA: The BJP today demanded framing of a strong anti-conversion law and blamed the Jitan Ram Manjhi government in Bihar for failing to keep its promises of development of the dalit community, which, he alleged compelled several families to convert to other religions in several districts recently.

"It has been due to the Manjhi government's failure to provide three decimal land to landless dalits for housing, food and social security as well as other welfare measures that several families have converted to other religions in the districts like Bhagalpur, Munger, Madhepura and Gaya recently," former deputy chief minister and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said in a statement.

Claiming that unabated conversion of dalit families into other religions due to inducement may create tension in the society, he asked the JD(U) government to frame a strong anti-conversion legislation to put an end to proselytisation.

There was a need for deterrent legislation to stop conversion by force or inducement and Bihar needed one urgently as the "dalits or other people were being hoodwinked to change their faith with a promise of better life," the senior BJP leader said.

He gave examples of Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan where, he said, there was an anti-conversion law in operation.

The state BJP chief also slammed people who were defending conversion by some dalit families by saying that they were exercising their fundamental rights.

"If that was true, educated people in that case would have done so," Modi said.

Recalling that the opposition parties had not allowed Rajya Sabha to function on the conversion issue demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement, he asked all the political stakeholders to join a debate to find out a lasting solution to the issue.