Opposition parties came together to disrupt proceedings in the Lok Sabha, demanding an answer from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the conversion row.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reform agenda suffered a setback on Monday as protests erupted in Parliament over a campaign by hardliners linked to his party to convert Muslims and Christians to Hinduism. (
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Opposition members threw papers and swarmed to the centre of the Lok Sabha, forcing the suspension of the session and effectively preventing the government from tabling a bill to increase foreign participation in the insurance sector. (
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The long-pending insurance legislation to raise the cap on foreign investment to 49 percent from 26 percent, and another bill to replace a decree to overhaul the coal sector, were high on the government's agenda for Parliament's Winter Session, which ends tomorrow.
Sources say the government will use an ordinance or executive order to introduce the reforms to liberalize the insurance sector. The ordinance has to be ratified by Parliament within six months, or it expires.
The Opposition cited comments by Mohan Bhagwat, the chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), to attack the government. The RSS is the ideological mentor the ruling party.
Mr Bhagwat said on the weekend that India is a "Hindu nation".
"This is an attempt to divide the society," Nitish Kumar, an Opposition leader from Bihar, told hundreds of people at a protest in New Delhi, referring to religious conversions.
"The government is not capable of resolving the core issues of our country, so they want to divide the society and distract people."
Today, Congress leader Anand Sharma urged the Prime Minister to make clear where he stood on conversions.
Mr Modi has so far not commented on conversions, letting colleagues tackle the criticism. (
Neither Government, Nor BJP Involved in Conversion: M Venkaiah Naidu)