Gandhinagar: Congress legislator Imran Khedawala tore a copy of the Bill proposed to amend the Freedom of religion act, 2003, aimed at combating forced religious conversions or Love Jihad tabled in the Assembly by the ruling BJP on the concluding day of the Budget session.
"Home Minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja has only mentioned that the daughters of the Hindu community are targeted by men from a specific community. Daughters, be it from any religious community, will always be our daughters. I too, have over hundred testimonies of Muslim girls marrying into other religion. I am deeply hurt by the words of the minister," slammed Khedawala.
Though Speaker Rajendra Trivedi tried interrupting the legislator, Khedawala stuck to his stand and added, "Nobody can force anybody to marry into a specific religion, and in no religion it is written to forcibly convert anyone to accept that. In this Bill, only one community is specifically targeted with words like 'Jihadi'. I opposite this Bill and I'm tearing down its copy," while tearing up the copy of the Bill in his hand. The Bill seeks to prohibit and punish religious conversions promising a better lifestyle, divine blessings and impersonation.
The gesture was met with an uproar by the BJP members in the House.