The DMK & Anti-conversion Law!

The decision of the Tamil Nadu government headed by DravidMunnetraKazhagam (DMK) party to oppose the Conversion Law citing that the Constitution of India gives people a right to ‘spread their religion peacefully’ and ‘change their beliefs’ exposes its ulterior motives. Simply because on one hand it wanted the Dalit Christians to be considered for reservations under the SC and ST category and on the other opposed the Conversion Law, which clearly explains its intentions, loud and clear. MK Stalin’s government wanted the top court to allow citizens of the country to freely choose their religion and the government shall not put spokes to their personal beliefs and privacy. TN government also choose to be emphatic that no incident of forceful conversion has been reported in the southern state in the last many years, as it opposed the prayers made by PIL petitioner-advocate Ashwini Upadhyay. In his petition, Upadhyay prayed to the apex court to order a CBI probe into the alleged cases of forcible conversions and direct the Law Commission of India to prepare a draft of anti-conversion law. Stalin government argues that the Anti-conversion laws are prone to misuse against minorities. His government’s affidavit also claims there is no data on convictions under the various anti-conversion laws of the states. Hence, the TN government’s affidavit justifies saying; “it is most respectfully submitted that the citizens are at liberty to choose the religion they want to follow.” Well, Article 25 of the Constitution of India may guarantee every citizen the right to propagate his religion, but does it guarantee that no forced conversions were happening across the country? That too in non-BJP states where the parties in power, like the DMK, for consolidating their vote banks, practicing minorities appeasement politics, and turning a blind eye to such forcible conversions? There is a hue and cry even in another southern state like AP, where the government has introduced monthly remuneration to the church priests, depending on its size. Many wonder, how any responsible government can misuse the taxpayer’s money for such doles. On the contrary, they may counter by claiming that when Hindu temple priests are eligible for monthly salaries, why not churches? If that is not bizarre and absurd, the Hindu temples are under firm control of the state’s endowments department, while the minorities are not covered. Can these party governments dare relieve even the Hindu temples as the BJP state in the Hindi belt like Madhya Pradesh, did? It is no exaggeration that there is a maximum number of Hindu temples in down southern states like the world’s richest, Lord Venkateswara temple in AP, Sabarimala in Kerala, and Kanchi in TN, to name a few, which have become milching cows for the respective governments? Hence, the TN’s affidavit arguing that the acts of missionaries spreading Christianity by themselves cannot be seen as something against the law, sound not only funny but ridiculous. The TN government further claims that such forcible conversions, if any are taking place as alleged by the petitioner, there are other provisions of Part III of the Constitution (relating to fundamental rights), that can be applied. “Therefore, the citizens of the country should be allowed freely to choose their religion and it would not be appropriate for the Government to put spokes to their personal belief and privacy,” reads the affidavit. It cites Articles 21 and 25 of the Constitution, to further strengthen its argument. About the anti-conversion laws, the MK Stalin-led government said that in 2002, the state had also passed the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Forcible Conversion of Religion Act but it was repealed in 2006 “due to popular opposition”. A law against religious conversion through force or allurement was enacted in 2002 by the then AIADMK government headed by late chief minister J Jayalalithaa and it was later repealed following stiff opposition. Repealing such legislation passed by the predecessor, exposesStalin’s DMK government’s hidden agenda against the majority Hindus in the state. The TN’s affidavit also denied Upadhyay’s claims regarding the suicide of minor girl Lavanya in the state after she was allegedly forced to convert by the Christian institution where she was studying. Hence, it sought dismissal of Upadhyay’s PIL. But many wonder why the DMK government is scared when all is well in the state?