Bangalore: Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021 , Otherwise known as the ‘Anti-Conversion Bill’ , Law will not be made in Karnataka yet. The BJP government in the state has postponed it to the next session of the Legislative Council in January, when it could “stitch the majority”, as it currently does not have the numbers to pass it.
On Friday, both the houses – the Legislative Assembly (lower house) and the Legislative Council (upper house) were adjourned sine die without the latter passing the anti-conversion bill.
controversial bill , which has been strongly criticized by minority communities, especially Christians , It was passed in the assembly on Thursday amid protests by leaders of opposition parties through voice votes, with the government deeming it “completely legal and constitutional”.
However, while the bill was listed for introduction and discussion in the Upper House on Friday , last day of session , It was not discussed.
“We didn’t push for it because we don’t have enough numbers to pass it,” Karnataka Home Minister Araga Gyanendra told ThePrint on Friday evening.
“Since it was listed for discussion, it is as good as being introduced. We will debate it in the next session when we can get majority.
The home minister further said that they can start from where they left off and the bill can be passed in the council immediately after the debate in the next session. “Only if it was lost in the council, we will have to introduce it again in the assembly. For now, it will not be a lapse,” he said.
Read also: Christian shrine ‘sabotaged’ in Karnataka, while Assembly discusses anti-conversion bill
maths after mlc election
At present, the BJP has 26 members of the Legislative Council (MLC) out of a total of 75, while the Congress is the single largest party with 29 MLCs. Though the dynamics will change with the recently concluded MLC elections, the newly-elected members will take oath as MLCs only in January, when the term of the existing members elected from local bodies ends.
BJP will have 37 MLCs after winning 11 out of 25 seats in the elections held earlier this month. , Just one short of a simple majority in January. The BJP is expected to win the support of Lakhan Jarkiholi, who won the MLC election as an independent after being denied a BJP ticket.
Congress winning 11 seats will have 26 MLCs and Janata Dal (Secular) will have 11 MLCs.
Opponents say while considering legal options
On Friday, opposition parties also appealed against the bill to be introduced in the council, citing “absence of members”.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) working president and MLC-Election President Salim Ahmed told ThePrint that they are looking at “legal options” to stall the bill.
“They (BJP) will have majority in the council by January and they will not need JDS’s support. Though they are short of majority as a party, their own leaders who won as independents will support them.”
The Christian community in Karnataka has been alleging that attacks on members and places of worship have increased since the government introduced the bill.
‘Only an improved version of the bill prepared under Congress’
Karnataka Law Minister JC Madhuswamy scolded Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah when he claimed that the anti-conversion bill was “only an improved version” of the bill drafted when the Congress was in power in the state.
The BJP government also introduced a note from the Chief Minister’s Office in 2015, asking the Law Commission to send the draft to the state cabinet in 2015.
“This is the double standard of Congress,” said Revenue Minister R Ashok.
Siddaramaiah, however, told reporters on Thursday: “The draft was started in 2009, when (BJP’s) BS Yediyurappa was the chief minister. The Law Commission, which constitutes the members of the RSS, submitted the draft to the Law Department in 2013, and it reached us in 2015. We never brought it before the cabinet or discussed it because we did not want to bring a law.
He said that the draft which was handed over to him then and the present Bill was different.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Read also: Most people want anti-conversion law, no one needs to fear persecution: Karnataka CM Bommai