Conversion are being done for vote bank: Congress, MIM

Congress says it cannot support any such move where people are enticed or forced to change their religion

The Congress and the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) on Friday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on the issue of conversions and alleged that such acts were done only to make the vote bank stronger.

While the MIM said they would oppose any move by the government to bring in an anti-conversion law, Congress said it cannot support any such move where people are enticed or forced to change their religion. It, however, said the modalities of such a law should be done through discussion.

"The 2014 elections were fought on the name of development. If there is no difference in their (the BJP) deeds and action, then prime minister and home minister should take a stern action," Congress leader Digvijay Singh said during a panel discussion on Agenda Aaj Tak.

MIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi said for the last six months, such controversial statements are regularly being issued and in a systematic way BJP wants to make its vote bank stronger.

"In this country, supporters of those people who talk of development...they are not supporters of any other party who are doing this (conversions. Is Godse a patriot?. Is religious conversion not a violation of constitutional rights? Who are these people? Arent they BJP MPs or supporters. Isn't VHP and Bajrang Dal not supporters of BJP," he said.

"Statements of RSS like making India a Hindu Rashtra, making Ram Mandir before 2019, Gita being given national book status...such statements have only one motive - to make Hindu vote bank stronger. As far as conversions go, all these are related to RSS," he said.

Political ideologue Sudheendra Kulkarni said, "the incidents which have taken place in the last couple of months, if they keep on rising, which is diverting the government's agenda of good governance, then in two three years, the Modi government will garland itself with self created troubles and this is not in the interest of the country."

BJP MP Prabhat Jha, however, said, "We have no links with this (conversion). And those who do it, their country and religion must be seperate. India is our country and it has only one religion -- development. These incidents are far off from development."

Singh said Congress has always opposed those who do politics on religion whether it is Hindus or Muslims. "What will be the modalities of the anti conversion law, it should be done through discussion. There should not be any violation of the right of a person to chose his religion. Moves by enticing or forcing anybody to change the religion, Congress party cannot support that," he said.