“BJP is keeping the politics entangled”: Akhilesh Yadav on passing of Prohibition Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Bill in UP

New Delhi [India], July 31 (ANI): On the passing of the Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Bill 2024 in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP of keeping the politics entangled and they are only doing politics because they don’t want to develop.

“What do you expect from them (BJP)? They have to keep politics entangled in this. They are only doing politics because they don’t want to develop,” Yadav said.

This came after the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly passed the U.P. Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which gives a maximum punishment of life imprisonment in cases of forced or fraudulent conversion. This bill was passed to make the anti-conversion laws in the state more strict. Earlier, the maximum sentence under the act was a 10-year imprisonment term.

As per the Bill, there will be serious penalties, including up to 20 years in prison or life imprisonment (i.e., the entire accused person’s life), for any act of threatening, attacking, marrying, promising to marry, conspiring, or trafficking a woman, minor, or anyone else with the intention of converting.

The bill was introduced by UP Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna in the House on July 29, 2024.

Samajwadi Party leader Fakhrul Hasan Chand also slammed the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government for bringing amendments to the existing law regarding ‘Love Jihad’ and said that the BJP only wants to do negative politics.

In a self-made video, Chand said, “The BJP government, which has brought the ordinance on Love Jihad, already has a law on it. If someone traps someone in his/her love trap with some motive, then there is a law for it, but BJP only wants to do negative politics. It does not want to do anything about unemployment and paper leak.”

“Samajwadi Party understands that these are diversionary issues. These will not do any good to the people,” the SP leader added.