Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Jaipur (Fides Service) - A small victory won by the Christian community in Rajasthan opens the door for hope: Mrs Pratibha Patil the state governor refused to sign an anti-conversion Bill sending it back to the state parliament which had approved it on 7 April. Unless ratified by the governor the bill cannot come into force.
“This was an act of courage, of even greater value because it was the act of a woman governor”, say religious minorities satisfied also with the motivation cited by the governor who described the bill as “a direct violation of every citizen’s right to freedom of religion”.
The bill approved by the governing Baratiya Janata Party despite opposition in the part of Congress Party and other sectors of the majority, punishes conversion with fraudulent means with prison or a 50,000 Rupee fine.
The Bill had already been criticised by leaders of various Christian confessions and Muslim communities in Rajasthan who appealed to the central Indian government to withhold assent to the law which, they said, violates articles 19 and 25 of the national Constitution guaranteeing all citizens freedom of conscience and religion. “The Bill is on the nationalist and intolerant agenda of the Baratiya Janata Party’s, said the religious minority leaders noting that the Bill bans conversion from Hinduism to other religions but not vice versa.
When religious minority leaders met recently to express their convictions in public in Jaipur, capital of Rajasthan State, they were encouraged by the presence of many local Hindus, representatives of movements and associations and even certain civil authorities. Anti-conversion Bills are in force in the following states of India Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. (Agenzia Fides 22/5/2006 righe 25 parole 251)
