Karnataka Congress state chief D.K. Shivakumar on Saturday said his party would oppose the proposed anti-conversion Bill, arguing that it was aimed at targeting the Christian community.
“In whatever form the Government introduces the Bill, we will oppose it,” D K Shivakumar said.
“The government is attempting to undermine the contributions of the Christian community in education and other fields by proposing this (anti-conversion) law,” said Shivakumar.
Shivakumar further alleged that this law is being done by the saffron party “with an eye on the 2023 Assembly polls.”
He was speaking to media persons after launching a membership drive of the party in Bengaluru.
On Sunday, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the bill on forcible religious conversion will be up for discussion in the Winter Session of the state assembly.
“The bill is only to prevent religious conversions by inducements. A majority of people want similar laws to be brought in the state after studying the laws enacted in other states,” Bommai said in a reference to the draconian anti-conversion law in Uttar Pradesh.
Karnataka has seen a rise in attacks against Christians in October and November after the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) proposed an anti-conversion law in the state.
The latest hate crime was reported in Kolar where Hindutva groups set Christian religious books on fire on Sunday.
While 27 attacks against Christians took place during the first 272 days of this year in Karnataka, seven incidents took place between October and mid-November alone, according to a fact-finding report.
