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Anti-conversion laws : Naga CM’s missive to President Kalam |
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Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has taken up with President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam the controversial anti-conversion Bill recently passed by the Rajasthan Assembly.
Calling the Bill a misnomer, Rio conveyed to the President that the passing of the Rajasthan Freedom of Religion Bill had disturbed him. The new Bill, Rio argues, aims to take away the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression, freedom to profess, practice and propagate any religion of a person’s choice, as guaranteed by the Constitution.
The letter states that the Bill is mainly targeted at Christian missionaries who have been rendering commendable social service to dalits and the underprivileged sections. “In fact, there is no question of Christian missionaries converting people to Christianity through force, allurement or fraudulent means. If there be any, it can be dealt with under the existing provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC),” the chief minister asserted.
Nagaland is a predominantly Christian state, and thousands of Nagas have become missionaries, travelling to the rest of the country and abroad. In this scenario, Rio expressed apprehension that the bill would be used to harass Christian missionaries and requested the President to intervene so that the basic ideal of secularism as enshrined in the Constitution, is not negated or diluted.
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