Punjab: Arvind Kejriwal bats for law against forcible conversion

Addressing a public gathering in Jalandhar, Arvind Kejriwal said, “Religion is a private matter. Everyone has the right to worship (or follow) any religion or religious book. But if somebody is being converted by alluring them through money or harassing them, then it is wrong.”

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal with Punjab AAP chief Bhagwant Maan, addresses the media in Jalandhar, Saturday. (Express Photo)

Aam Aadmi Party national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Saturday said a law should be made against forcible religious conversions, but nobody should be harassed by misusing it.

“A law should certainly be made against religious conversions, but such a law should not be misused to harass anyone,” said Kejriwal.

He was replying to a specific query on whether a law should be made against forcible religious conversion.

Addressing a public gathering in Jalandhar, Kejriwal said, “Religion is a private matter. Everyone has the right to worship (or follow) any religion or religious book. But if somebody is being converted by alluring them through money or harassing them, then it is wrong.”

The Delhi CM, replying to another query, accused the Shiromani Akali Dal of doing “dirty politics” over the release of 1993 Delhi bomb blast convict Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar. “It is a sensitive issue. We strongly condemn the dirty politics being played by the SAD.”

Former CM Parkash Singh Badal had recently sought the immediate release of Bhullar in the “larger interest of consolidating peace and communal harmony” in Punjab. He had urged Kejriwal not to allow a “communal bias or political or electoral opportunism to dictate his decision and refusal to grant immediate clearance for Bhullar’s release”.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee too had slammed the AAP dispensation for its “negative attitude” towards Bhullar’s release and demanded intervention of the Government of India in the matter.

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Explaining the entire process, Kejriwal said, “Delhi is not a full state and law and order, and the police come under the Centre — under the Lieutenant Governor. A sentence review board, comprising judge, police officers, secretaries and other members, deliberates on the issue of remission of sentence, release et Cetra and arrives at a decision. I don’t have any role in this.”

After a recommendation is arrived at, the file goes to the L-G who has to make a final decision, the Delhi chief minister said. “When I came to know about this (Bhullar issue), I told the home secretary that a meeting of this board be convened at the earliest… and whatever be the decision of the board will be put up before the L-G,” Kejriwal said.

Asked about the alleged drug case against Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia, the AAP leader said, “There is a law in the country and it will decide.”
When asked about his earlier statement that Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has only registered a case against Majithia, but didn’t dare to arrest him, Kejriwal said that when the bail is rejected by the lower court then arrest of that person is inevitable, but it did not happen in his (Majithia)’s case. “You vote for us and then see what we will do on this issue,” he said.

10 Guarantees

Later, during a press conference, Kejriwal announced 10 new guarantees and said that no new tax will be imposed for the next five years and CCTV cameras will be installed to curb crime and all markets in cities will be developed if AAP is voted to power in Punjab.

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“Our 10 guarantees include cleanliness of cities, proper garbage disposal and solid waste management, beautification, doorstep delivery of services, all power cables to be laid underground, revamp of government hospitals, opening 16,000 Mohalla clinics, revamp of government schools, round the clock power and water supply, no new tax or enhancement in the existing taxes, and end of ‘inspector raj’,” he said.