New Delhi, Sep.10 (ANI): Leaders of various opposition parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Communist Party of India-Marxist, on Saturday asked the UPA II Government to go back to the drawing board and rework the Communal Violence Bill.
Expressing their unhappiness over the draft version of the bill prepared by the National Advisory Council, which is headed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, opposition leaders described it as dangerous and having the possibility of undermining the Constitution. They also said that it did not protect the rights of either the majority Hindu population or the minorities.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, told media after the 15th meeting of the National Integration Council (NIC) held here with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the chair, that the bill in its present form was dangerous and did not acknowledge the existence of the Indian citizen.
She said that the bill should not be brought to Parliament, and added that giving the central government more powers to exercise law and order provisions, which was a state subject, should not be encouraged.
As the debate over the controversial Communal Bill erupted at the NIC meet, Swaraj and Rajya Sabha opposition leader Arun Jaitley repeatedly pointed fingers at the National Advisory Council's draft of the communal violence bill saying the bill is against the Constitution and that it is against the majority community in the country.
This is a stand that the BJP has taken in the past and the party today officially expressed concerns at the NIC meet.
Senior leader of the Trinamool Congress and Union Railways Minister Dinesh Trivedi said that his party too was opposed to the bill in its present form.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Yadav warned that the bill in its present form would dilute the federal structure, and added that there was no consensus on legislation as yet.
He also said that the present bill needed to do more in ensuring the protection of the rights of the minorities. He said that he agreed with the BJP on certain points.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan said that the bill in its present form had the potential of undermining the Constitution.
Janata Dal United leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has called for an extended debate on the bill, which he claims does not represent the states well enough.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati today criticised the Centre for seeking views of her government on the Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence Bill without providing a draft of the bill to it.
"It is important to tell that the Centre has not sent the proposed communal violence bill to the state government. Hence it is not the opportune moment to comment on the Bill," Mayawati said in a written speech read out at the National Integration Council meeting. (ANI)
|
|
Comments:
