Karnataka assembly passes anti-conversion bill amid din

Amid aproar,The Karnataka Assembly on Thursday passed the contentious anti-conversion bill, titled ‘Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021’.  The anti-conversion bill has a provision for jailing those who engage in mass religious conversion. The Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021 is aimed at preventing conversion by means of 'allurement', 'coercion', 'force', 'fraudulent means', and also 'mass', conversion. According to the government, these instances cause disturbance of 'public order' in the state.When the bill was passed in voice vote, Congress MLAs entered the well of the house in protest. The bill was strongly opposed by Congress as well as Christian community leaders.  Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah called the bill an RSS agenda to which rural development minister KS Eshwarappa replied it is to save the 'culture' of the country.

Minister Ashwathnarayan said this was a much-awaited bill that will create harmony in society. “It will facilitate transparency and accountability. It is a forward-looking bill that will address many challenges being currently faced,” During discussion on the bill, the Opposition Congress seemed to be on a back foot with the Basavaraj Bommai-led government claiming the legislation had been initiated by the previous Congress government with Siddaramaiah in the chief minister’s chair. Later Siddaramaiah accepted that as the CM he had only asked a draft bill in this regard to be placed before the cabinet and that no decision was taken on the same. Stating that the Congress vehemently opposed the bill in its present form that it said was "anti people", "inhuman", "anti constitutional", "anti poor" and "draconian",