Nitish rules out anti-conversion law in Bihar

Bihar chief minister said there was “complete harmony” and different communities are living in peace.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday ruled out an anti-conversion law in the state, saying there was “complete harmony” and different communities are living in peace.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar during an event to release the Bihar Textile and Leather Policy 2022 in Patna, on Wednesday. (Santosh Kumar/HT Photo)

Kumar, who was replying to a reporter’s query on the sidelines of a function, said, “There is no need for an anti-conversion law in the state. The government is alert and members of different religious communities are living in peace. Hence such a law is not required here,” he said.

A section of media had reported that Hindus were allegedly changing their faith following enticement offered by proselytizers.

A few leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is part of the ruling alliance in Bihar along with CM Kumar’s JD(U), has been stressing the need for an anti-conversion law in the state on the lines of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.

Union minister and BJP leader Giriraj Singh, during his party’s recent state executive committee meeting in Bihar, had pitched for a strong anti-conversion law, dropping the use of the term “minorities” and erasing all “symbols of oppression by foreign invaders.

Of late, BJP and JD(U) have publically differed on several issues, the latest being the statewide caste census and demand for a population control law.

JD(U) has been quick to reject the demand for a population control law. Party’s state president Umesh Kushwaha said Nitish Kumar’s emphasis on educating girls would ultimately lead to a control of the population.