Congress Opposed To Forcible Religious Conversion, Says Siddaramaiah

Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Friday said his party is opposed to forcible religious conversion. The Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka assembly, however, said those wanting to undergo religious conversion voluntarily should not be stopped.

"If anyone is involved in forcible religious conversion, we are also opposed to it. Religious conversion should not be done forcefully, we are opposed to it," Siddaramaiah said.

Speaking to reporters in Karnataka's Kolar, he said, "No one can stop if anyone wants to go for religious conversion voluntarily and they should not be stopped."

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday had said the government is seriously considering bringing in a law against religious conversion either by force or through inducement in the state.

State Home Minister Araga Jnanendra too last week told the legislative assembly that the government was considering enacting a law to regulate religious conversion, as a ruling BJP MLA Goolihatti Shekhar from Hosadurga said his own mother has converted to Christianity, falling prey to inducement.

BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh already have laws to prevent forcible religious conversion.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)