The Centre has no role in the conversion programme scheduled to take place in Aligarh, said Union Minister for Urban Development M. Venkaiah Naidu. “However, nothing should be done through force and allurements,” he said, adding that it was for the Samajwadi Party to address the issue.
Speaking to the press here on Sunday, he said if the ‘g har vapsi’ (homecoming) was wrong, then the conversion itself was wrong. India was a free country and the State would not support any particular religion. The government would not bring a unilateral legislation banning religious conversions in haste.
“We want a broad consensus before doing any such thing,” Mr. Naidu said, pointing out that it was the Congress which had enacted legislation banning conversions in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh.
Mr. Naidu said there was a ‘disinformation campaign’ to defame Prime Minister Narendra Modi, since the Opposition could not face him. He deplored the unruly behaviour of Opposition members in stalling the proceedings in Parliament on a daily basis. He said the government was proactive and ready to respond and the Opposition should cooperate in the functioning of Parliament.
