Owaisi calls Karnataka's anti-conversion law 'draconian violation of freedom of religion'

After the Basavaraj Bommai-led state government approved the ordinance on the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, also known as the Anti-Conversion Bill, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) supremo Asaduddin Owaisi responded sharply to the development and termed the new law as a "draconian violation of freedom of religion and right to privacy."

Voicing his opposition to the newly enacted anti-conversion law by CM Bommai government in Karnataka, Asaduddin Owaisi took to his Twitter and wrote, "Those who convert don’t stop being Indians. Who is the govt to decide who I worship or don’t? So much for minimum government." Slamming the law, which is more stringent than the one enacted in Uttar Pradesh, the AIMIM chief further added, "Everyone has the right to propagate, accept or reject any religion. This is a draconian violation of freedom of religion & right to privacy."

'We oppose the anti-conversion bill': Congress' DK Shivakumar

Before the Karnataka government's decision to enact the anti-conversion bill into law through the ordinance route, Congress leader DK Shivakumar spoke to Republic on Thursday. Dubbing the law unconstitutional, Shivakumar stated that the ruling BJP administration was using it for appeasement politics in the state. “It is against the law. It is against the Constitution,” the Congress leader said.

Further, Shivakumar went on to slam the CM Bommai-led BJP government over the bill and said that there were no incidents of religious conversions in the state. “There is no incident of conversion in Karnataka. BJP is playing appeasement politics. We totally oppose the anti-conversion bill,” the Congress leader said.

Karnataka's anti-conversion law

The proposed law, which attempts to outlaw "unlawful conversion" from one faith to another by misrepresentation, force, undue influence, compulsion, allurement, or any fraudulent means, has been met with criticism from Karnataka's activists, people, and legal experts. The new law is considerably harsher than those passed in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, with a minimum sentence of three to five years in prison and a fine of Rs 25,000, compared to a one-year prison sentence and a fine of Rs 15,000 in Uttar Pradesh.

Converting a minor, woman, or an SC/ST person attracts imprisonment of 3 to 10 years along with a fine of Rs 50,000. The bill also prohibits mass conversions and proposes a jail term of 3 to 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh for the guilty.