Clarify if math Bill is part of national policy, Venkaiah tells Congress

He accuses party of double standards on issue of conversion and reconversion

Union Ministers M. Venkaiah Naidu, D.V. Sadananda Gowda and Ananth Kumar; P.C. Mohan, MP; and Deputy Opposition Leader in the Legislative Assembly R. Ashok felicitating veteran party worker Shankar Narayan Gupta in Bengaluru on Thursday.

Even as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced withdrawal of the controversial Bill intended at taking over “mismanaged maths”, Union Parliamentary Affairs and Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday asked the Congress high command to clarify if such a Bill was part of its national policy.

Addressing a programme organised by the party State unit here to mark the 90th birthday celebrations of the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Mr. Naidu took exception to State Social Welfare Minister H. Anjaneya’s remarks that it should not be a surprise if the Narendra Modi government confers Bharat Ratna on Nathuram Godse.

“Can we make the Congress responsible for such remarks,” he asked.

Launching a counter-attack on the opposition Congress that is targeting the BJP over the issue of “reconversion”, Mr. Naidu made it clear that the Centre would not encourage both conversions and reconversions.

But he maintained that “if there are conversions, there will be reconversions” and said: “If you want to ban reconversion, then ban conversion too.” Accusing the Congress of double standards on the issue of conversion and reconversion, he said the Congress was opposed to reconversion, but was not ready for a legislation to ban conversions.

“If somebody wants to go back to his religion, who are you or we to object,” he said and added that reconversion was nothing new as it had been taken up in 1923 itself by Arya Samaj founder Dayananda Saraswati.

‘Disinformation campaign’

Terming the ongoing controversy over reconversion as a “disinformation” campaign launched by the Congress to divert public attention from the agenda of development and good governance of the NDA government, he said the Congress was tired of sitting in the Opposition within seven months.

He urged the opposition parties, including the Congress, to respect the mandate of people who had voted for a change and allow the government and Parliament to function properly.

Union Ministers D.V. Sadananda Gowda and Ananth Kumar were present at the programme where veteran party worker Shankar Narayan Gupta was felicitated.