Source: NEPS / Oken Jeet Sandham
Kohima, September 15:
The Janata Dal (United), a constituent of the NDA, has taken a strong exception on the BJP's "Anti-Conversion Bill" and further cautioned that it would be compelled to withdraw even from the NDA if the BJP continued with the bill.
Opposing the Bill as it was against the spirit of democracy, the JD (U) explained that the choice of religion was a matter of individual faith and a basic freedom as enshrined in the Constitution.
"India has a tradition of allowing everyone to propagate his or her faith for ages," said Deo Nukhu, JD (U) MLA and leader of its Legislature Party in Nagaland, said in a statement here.
He termed as "highly improper and undemocratic" the banning of religious conversion in any state.
In the event of forcing "anti-conversion bill" being passed by the BJP ruled-states, the JD (U) that is a constituent of the NDA would be compelled to "withdraw from NDA and maintain its own identity of following the principle of secularism in the larger interest of national integration," said the Nagaland JD (U) MLA.
Nukhu, who is also a member of JD (U) National Executive, also disclosed that his party might go alone in 2007 upcoming assembly polls in four states---UP, Punjab, Uttaranchal and Manipur.
"Being a dominant Christian state, Nagaland would strongly support the resolution adopted by the JD (U) National Executive," he stated.
JD (U) National president Sharad Yadav also said his party was opposed to ban on religious conversion in any part of the country.