The BJP government in Karnataka on Thursday passed the Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021, commonly known as the Anti-Conversion Bill, by voice vote in the state Legislative Assembly. Since then this issue has been hotly debated.
The Congress leader and former CM of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state said that people convert voluntarily when they see “religion serving humanity”. He also said that if someone is converting people, it is not on the basis of their sword.
“If someone is converting people, he is not using a sword. It is the good deed and character of individuals that influences others to convert. People convert when they see a particular religion serving humanity and do not discriminate,” Azad said in a statement, as per the ANI report.
If someone is converting people, he is not using the sword. It is the good deed and character of individuals that influences others to convert. People convert when they see a particular religion serving humanity and do not discriminate: Senior Congress leader in J&K Ghulam Nabi Azad (25.12) pic.twitter.com/bDRimH4u9H
— ANI (@ANI) December 25, 2021
Opposition parties in the Karnataka Assembly said the bill would lead to communal ruckus in the state and was brought only to “target a particular religion”.
“No person shall convert or attempt to convert any person from one religion to another by misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or any fraudulent means or by marriage, and shall not Only any person who instigates or conspires for conversion,” states the bill.
Karnataka Minister Dr. Ashwathnarayana said, “It was a much-awaited bill. It will facilitate transparency and accountability. It is a forward-looking bill that will address many challenges being faced at present. It will create harmony in the society.” to ANI.
The Anti-Conversion Bill makes conversion a non-bailable offense punishable with imprisonment of up to 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh, if convicted of forced conversion, inducement or marriage, coercion.
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