CM Vishnu Deo Sai announced a new stringent law to curb illegal religious conversions in Chhattisgarh.
He also backed delisting tribals who convert to other religions from the ST category.
Raipur: On May 4, The Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Vishnu Deo Sai, said on Sunday that his government will soon bring a new and stronger law to stop religious conversions, especially of tribal people.
He also supported the idea of “delisting” tribals — this means removing those tribals from the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list who change their religion.
In an interview given to PTI Videos, CM Vishnu Deo Sai explained his views about religious conversion and said,
“India is a secular country. There is no problem in accepting any religion according to one’s own faith and belief. But some people have been converting people, particularly the poor, by luring and misleading them on the pretext of providing education and other facilities. I think it is wrong and should not happen. It will stop with delisting.”
When asked about the government’s plan to bring a law against illegal religious conversions, he said that Chhattisgarh already has a law in place, but it needs to be stronger.
“There is an existing law in Chhattisgarh against illegal religious conversion. There is a need to strengthen it further. We are examining what kind of law is there in other states. In the coming time, we will definitely introduce a strict law so that religious conversion can be stopped.”
However, the Chief Minister did not share the exact timeline for introducing this law in the Assembly.
Many tribal communities in areas like Bastar and Surguja have been demanding delisting of converted tribals. They argue that tribals who convert to Christianity or any other religion should no longer get the special benefits and reservation that are given to Scheduled Tribes.
CM Vishnu Deo Sai explained that in the case of Scheduled Castes (SC), such a rule already exists. If an SC person converts to another religion, they lose the benefits meant for the SC category. But no such rule exists for Scheduled Tribes.
ALSO READ: Rajasthan Anti-Conversion Law: Key Provisions, Legal Challenges & Controversies
He said,
“There is a provision in the Constitution that if the people of Scheduled Caste (SC) convert to other religion, then they are deprived of the benefits given under the category concerned.” He further said, “But this is not the case with Scheduled Tribes (ST). If a tribal converts to another religion, they continue to get the benefits given to the ST community and even those given to minorities.”
This issue has been raised by tribal communities themselves, as they feel that converted tribals are misusing the benefits of both categories — ST and minority. They have been raising this issue in public meetings and gatherings.
The Chief Minister highlighted this and said,
“The demand (of delisting) is being continuously raised by the tribal society. Kartik Oraon ji, who was an MP from Congress from Bihar, had said in the Parliament that converted tribals should not be entitled to benefits given under ST category. As per my knowledge, more than 250 MPs had submitted applications in the Parliament in this regard on behalf of the tribal society.”
He also added that the demand is not new and many tribal leaders and groups have been raising this for a long time.
“Sai said tribal society has been raising the delisting demand by holding meetings and signing that delisting should happen.”
The new proposed law is expected to make religious conversions more difficult through stricter rules and punishments.
ALSO READ: Chhattisgarh Government Will Introduce New Strict Law Against Religious Conversions
At the same time, the move to delist converted tribals from the ST category may create political and legal debates.
However, the Chief Minister believes these steps are necessary to stop forced or misleading conversions in the state.
This development comes at a time when several states are also reviewing or updating their laws regarding religious conversions. Chhattisgarh may follow the path of those states which already have strict anti-conversion laws.
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