Govt will not unilaterally bring anti-conversion law: Venkaiah Naidu

Thiruvananthapuram: After mooting the idea of an anti-conversion law following the raging controversy over religious re-conversions, government Wednesday made it clear that it would not bring the legislation unilaterally.

"Bringing an anti-conversion law is not the priority of the government and it did not think of brining an anti-conversion law unilaterally," Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu told a meet-the-press programme here.

"No" was his short reply when asked whether the government was working on an anti-conversion law.

However, Naidu said "if there is a consensus, if opposition also feels there is a need for it, one can think about it."

Stating that government has no role in the 'ghar vapsi' (home coming) programmes in some parts of the country, Naidu said they were organised by individuals.

He accused Congress of raking up the conversion issue to derail the development agenda of the Narendra Modi government.

Congress, aided by Communists, was on "a disinformation campaign" against the government, he alleged.

Conversions had been going on for years. Lakhs of people across the country were being converted by "allurement and by spending crores of foreign money", he said adding Congress never acted on the same.

"Reconvesion is happening over the last 100 years. Many Congress leaders were in the forefront of reconversion campaign through 'Shuddhi' launched by Swamy Dayananda Saraswati," he said.

"When I suggested a legislation to address their concern, Congress realised its mistake and went on the backfoot," Naidu said.

Justifying the government decision to go for the ordinance route for insurance sector FDI and land acquisition reforms, he said government was compelled to go for ordinance due to the "negative mindset" of Congress party.

The attitude of Congress in the Rajya Sabha, whose proceedings were paralysed for several days over the conversion issue, was "a clear evidence of the negative and obstructionist mindset and this political philosophy was harming the national interest," he contended.

On the achievements of the seven-month old NDA government, he said in such short time it could increase power generation by 22 per cent, wholesale price index based inflation has been brought to zero level and there was a substantial increase in foreign Institutional and direct investments.