Anti-conversion bill passed by Karnataka House amid Oppn din
THE BILL WAS PASSED BY VOICE VOTE, EVEN AS OPPOSITION MEMBERS WERE PROTESTING FROM THE WELL
BELAGAVI: The contentious “Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021”, popularly known as “Anti-conversion Bill”, was passed by Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Thursday, amidst a din.
The Congress vehemently opposed the bill, calling it “anti people”, “inhuman”, “anti constitutional”, “anti poor” and “draconian”, and urged that it should not be passed for any reason and should be withdrawn by the government. JD(S) too expressed its opposition to the bill, which was introduced in the Assembly on Tuesday.
The bill was passed by a voice vote, even as Congress members were protesting from the well of the House, demanding continuation of the debate on the bill, that began this morning.
They were also expressing their anguish against some remarks made by Minister K S Eshwarappa, during his intervention in the debate.
Congress seemed to be on a back foot with the ruling BJP alleging that the bill was actually “initiated” by the Siddaramaiah led Congress administration, and placed documents to support its claim before the House.
Though Siddaramaiah, who is now the Leader of Opposition, denied it, later on personally going through the records in the Speaker’s office, accepted that as the CM he had then only asked the draft bill to be placed before the cabinet and no decision was taken in this regard, and hence it cannot be seen or projected as the intention of his government.
With Siddaramaiah alleging RSS’ hand behind this bill, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said, “RSS is committed to anti conversion, it is not a hidden secret, it is an open secret. Why did the Congress government in 2016 initiate the bill during its tenure following the RSS’ policy? It is because Congress CM in Himachal Pradesh Virbhadra Singh had brought a similar law. You are a party to this bill.”
Bommai said the bill is both constitutional and legal, and aimed at getting rid of the menace of religious conversion. “It is for a healthy society .... Congress was indulging in vote bank politics by opposing it now, their double standard is clear today.”
The bill proposes an imprisonment from three to five years with a fine of ₹25,000, while for violation of provisions with respect to minors, women, SC/ ST, offenders will face imprisonment from three to ten years and a fine of not less than ₹50,000.
It also makes provisions for the accused to pay up to ₹5 lakh as compensation to those who were made to convert, and with regards to cases of mass conversion the bill proposes 3-10 years jail term and a fine of up to ₹1 lakh.