ReligiousConversion – Bihar Assembly Sees Demand for Stricter Law
ReligiousConversion – The final sitting of the Budget Session in the Bihar Legislative Assembly witnessed a charged discussion over the demand for a stricter legal framework on religious conversion, as members of the ruling alliance pressed the state government to consider new legislation.
Lawmakers Push for Legal Framework
Eighteen legislators from the ruling coalition raised the issue through a calling attention motion, urging the government to introduce a law similar to those in several other Indian states. Among those who addressed the House were Maithili Thakur, Mithilesh Tiwari, Virendra Kumar, Janak Singh, Sanjay Kumar Singh, Jivesh Kumar, Tar Kishore Prasad and Baidyanath Prasad.
The members argued that states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Gujarat have already enacted laws aimed at regulating religious conversion. They maintained that Bihar should consider comparable measures to address what they described as growing concerns within certain regions of the state.
Reference to Laws in Other States
According to the MLAs, legislation in these states includes provisions for stringent penalties. They cited punishment ranging from one year to as much as 10 or even 20 years of imprisonment in cases involving alleged forced conversion, fraudulent practices, inducement or violations related to child marriage.
The legislators said that such legal safeguards were necessary to prevent misuse of religion for personal or financial gain. Several members claimed that similar concerns were surfacing in Bihar and required attention at the legislative level.
Concerns Over Demographic Changes
Some lawmakers pointed to what they described as demographic shifts in particular districts, including areas along the state’s borders and the Seemanchal region. They contended that large-scale conversions were contributing to these changes and called for a comprehensive review of the situation.
Mithilesh Tiwari, a Bharatiya Janata Party MLA, stated during the debate that states like Uttar Pradesh have implemented strict anti-conversion laws and suggested that Bihar should follow suit. Referring to local figures, he claimed that around 1,000 Dalit families in Buxar had converted and argued that such developments warranted legislative consideration.
Other members presented statistics related to population growth and the number of churches established in recent years. They alleged that some conversions were taking place through inducements, though no official data was tabled during the discussion to substantiate these claims.
Reservation and Constitutional Questions Raised
The debate also touched on the question of reservation benefits after religious conversion. A few MLAs referred to constitutional provisions while seeking clarity on whether individuals who convert retain eligibility for benefits extended under specific categories.
BJP MLA Sanjay Singh described the issue as going beyond religious change and framed it as a matter of national concern. Another legislator, Anil Singh, called for strict statutory measures to prevent what he termed unlawful practices.
Government Clarifies Its Position
Responding to the discussion, Tourism and Arts and Culture Minister Arun Shankar Prasad made it clear that the Bihar government does not currently have any proposal under consideration to introduce a law related to religious conversion.
“There is no proposal to enact any such legislation at this time,” the minister informed the House.
Despite the clarification, some members continued to press for further debate. Assembly Speaker Prem Kumar intervened, noting that the calling attention motion had already been admitted and that the government could examine the matter if required. He subsequently ruled that no additional discussion would be permitted on the issue during the session.
The exchange highlighted the political sensitivity surrounding the subject in Bihar. While several ruling alliance members advocated legislative action, the government’s official position indicated that no immediate move toward drafting an anti-conversion law is underway.