BELAGAVI: The ruling BJP in Karnataka, which was expected to face opposition in the assembly over the Anti-conversion Bill, turned the tables on the opposition party on Thursday, claiming that the 'Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021,' also known as the Anti-conversion Bill, is merely an extension of the Congress' draught proposal from 2016.  After the disclosure, the Congress, which had come prepared to nail the BJP on the bill, found itself baffled.

In his introductory remarks on the bill, Minister for Home Araga Jnanedra stated that the Anti-conversion bill is the brainchild of the Congress. J. Madhuswamy, Minister for Law, went on to say that the draught was drafted by the Law Commission on the orders of then-Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

He went on to say that as Chief Minister at the time, Siddaramaiah had directed the preparation of a draught proposal to prohibit forced conversions. Siddaramaiah, stunned, rejected this and urged the BJP to back up its assertions.  Speaker Vishveshwara Hegde Kageri then read out his notes from the old file and asked him to double-check them in his office before adjourning the meeting.

When the house reconvened, Siddaramaiah confirmed that the notes were written during his tenure after checking them. He attempted to explain his stance by claiming that even though he authorised the draught, it never came before the cabinet and was never discussed till the conclusion of his term.

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