JD (U) leader Anwar says Muzaffarnagar riots call for a Communal Violence Bill

Janata Dal United (JD-U) leader Ali Anwar on Tuesday said the way things happened in Muzaffarnagar and Godhra, makes it important for the Communal Violence Bill to be passed.

"I believe the bill should be passed. The way things happened in Muzzaffar Nagar and in the Godhra Riots, makes the passing of the Communal Violence Bill important," said Anwar.

Anwar recalled that there wee incidents of grave violence at Muzaffarnagar and Godhra. "To avoid such scenarios in the future, the bill should be passed," he said.

"Changes can be made in the bill later if required," he added.

Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde declared that the cabinet had approved the Prevention of Communal Violence Bill on Monday.

Earlier, Modi had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in which he termed the Prevention of Communal Violence Bill as ill conceived, poorly drafted and a recipe for disaster.

Modi and the rest of the BJP top brass have claimed that the Bill could vitiate the atmosphere and polarize Indian society.

In his letter to the Prime Minister, Modi had described the bill as an attempt to encroach upon the authorities of the state governments and sought wider consultation among the various stakeholders such as the state governments, political parties, and police and security agencies, before any further movement on the issue.

The Gujarat Chief Minister said his government is sensitive to the issue of communal violence and agreed that there is a need to be vigilant on communal violence but the contents and timing of the bill are suspicious.

Responding to Modi's criticism of the government's Prevention of Communal Violence Bill, Manmohan Singh had said that it would be his endeavor to develop a broad-based consensus on the proposed legislation.