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Anti-conversion bill gets Karnataka cabinet nod, to be tabled in House
The bill titled “The Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill 2021” is more commonly known as the anti-conversion bill, and it has become the trigger for intense criticism against the BJP government and chief minister Basavaraj Bommai ever since it was first proposed during the monsoon session of the state legislature in September in Bengaluru.
The Basavaraj Bommai-led cabinet on Monday approved the tabling of the controversial anti-conversion bill in the ongoing winter session of the Karnataka legislature, setting in motion the passage of another contentious legislation.
The approval in the cabinet paves the way for the bill to be tabled in the lower house of the state legislature, possibly on Tuesday, allowing the BJP at least four days for its passage. .
No minister went on record to confirm the approval since a cabinet briefing is not allowed when the legislature is in session.
The bill titled “The Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill 2021” is more commonly known as the anti-conversion bill, and it has become the trigger for intense criticism against the BJP government and the chief minister ever since it was first proposed during the monsoon session of the state legislature in September in Bengaluru.
The bill comes against the backdrop of a series of attacks against members of the Christian community in various parts of the state, alleging their involvement in conversions, prompting protests against a bill which senior members of the church have called an attempt to “deflect” attention away from corruption scandals of the government, and “destroy” peace and harmony.
“We want to get it (anti-conversion) passed in this session only,” JC Madhuswamy, Karnataka’s minister for law, parliamentary affairs and minor irrigation had earlier told HT.
The bill is part of the BJP’s attempt to introduce more laws in the state in line with its core ideology. The government has already implemented a law severely restricting the slaughter of cattle and has now proposed to introduce the special marriages act against what right wing organisations, many affiliated to the RSS, the BJP’s ideological parent, term love jihad.
“Hindus were often invaded leading to large-scale religious conversion from time to time. If you see people from other religions around us, they were originally Hindus. Beside the geographical invasion, there is religious invasion happening in the country. If geographical invasion happens openly, religious invasion happens slowly,” Bommai said at an event of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, PTI reported on Monday.
The opposition has said that they will fight against the proposal of the anti-conversion bill in the house and outside.
“We have gone through seven bills from different states which have enacted the bill. The Congress too drafted it (such a bill) in 2016 which was scrutinised by the then law minister but was not brought before the cabinet. We have copied the same and they cannot take any objection because they themselves have drafted this bill,” Madhuswamy said.
At least seven states, including Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand have brought out similar proposals with some of them implementing the same.
“It is clear that this bill is designed to divide the society,” said a senior member of the Church in Bengaluru, requesting not to be identified.
He added that the community will hold a silent protest against the bill.
A copy of the bill is doing the rounds on social media, which the government has not authenticated.
In this bill, the government has defined “allurement” as “any gift, gratification, easy money or material benefit either in cash or kind.”
It further adds that the promise of employment, free education in reputed schools run by any religious body, promise to marry, better lifestyle, divine pleasure or otherwise are all allurements.
The bill also defines coercion, conversion, force and fraudulent means among others.
“Mass conversions means where two or more persons are converted,” the bill states.
“Prohibition of conversion from one religion to another religion by misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or marriage. No person shall convert or attempt to convert, either directly or otherwise, any other person from one religion to another by use or practice of misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by fraudulent means or by marriage nor shall any person abet or conspire such conversion,” the bill states.
The bill also includes penal provisions for violations of the proposed law like jail terms extending from 3-10 years and fines capped at ₹1 lakh.
“In recent years the state has noticed many instances of conversion by means of ‘allurement, coercion, force, fraudulent means and also “mass” conversion. These instances caused disturbance to public order and to punish such persons indulged in such acts at present no legislation is in existence in the state,” according to the statements or objects and reasons in the bill.
The bill adds the law commission of Karnataka after studying the various laws on the subject and considering the situation in the state in its 30th report has made recommendation to the government to enact a suitable law on the subject.
“They (BJP) want to create communal tension. The investments for Karnataka will dip down. BJP is not worried about it . They are only worried about their political agenda,” DK Shviakumar, the state Congress president said on Monday.
Political analysts said that the bill appears to be part of several more to come as possibly part of the last-ditch strategy of the BJP.
“It seems they have made up their mind. This is the only strategy left which is to try and convert the entire state into coastal Karnataka and go strong on Hindutva agenda,” A Narayana, political analyst and faculty at the Azim Premji University said on Monday.
