Tamil Nadu's New Anti-Conversion Law

[Guest guest]

Venkaiah hails anti-conversion ordinance

Pune, Oct 17

 

The Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) has welcomed the Tamil Nadu

government's anti-conversion ordinance and has urged that similar

ordinances be promulgated elsewhere in the country.

 

BJP president M Venkiah Naidu, while addressing party activists here

Wednesday, said, "The Constitution allows freedom of religion but

that does not mean that there should be a freedom to convert by

offering allurements. The BJP would like such a law in every state".

 

He took a dig at the Congress for opposing the ordinance saying that

it only brought to the fore the party's pseudo-secularism.

 

The anti-conversion ordinance would go a long way in curbing

communalism, Naidu said while claiming that "the BJP was the most

secular party as its interpretation of the word 'Hindu' connoted

cultural nationalism and did not refer to religion".

 

Naidu elaborated on the achievements of the BJP-led National

Democratic Front government but rued that these had not been

adequately projected by the BJP workers at the grassroots level.

 

He conceded that there was a need for the party to do some

introspection as indiscipline and groupism had started afflicting the

party.

 

Coming down heavily on the Congress, Naidu accused the party of

having adopted the disgraceful technique of "spit and run".

 

The Congress hurled allegations at the BJP without offering any

evidence and then shied away from debating the issue in the

Parliament, he alleged.

 

On Gujarat, Naidu said the Congress was afraid of defeat in the state

if elections were held there. He stressed that the BJP was ready to

face the polls.

 

On America's fight against terrorism, Naidu accused the US of double

standards. "How can the US talk of tackling terrorism with Pakistan

on their side when it is well known that Pakistan is supporting

terrorism", he wondered.