'Govt should provide statistics on religious conversion'

Former Minister P G R Sindhia urged the government to submit statistics before the public on the number of people who had converted to other religions in Karnataka in the past 10 years.

To a query on the Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill which the state government is planning to pass in the Legislative Council, the former minister said, “Before speaking for or against the Bill, the government should place statistics on conversions. None are in favour of forceful conversion. A few on their own converted to other religions. But, BJP wants to debate on conversion for the sake of votes.”

Coming down heavily on politics in Karnataka, he said individual-oriented politics is given emphasis rather than issue-oriented politics.

"The credibility of politicians should be increased through their actions and utterances. The politicians are merely engaged in mudslinging. It looks like politics in Karnataka revolves around eight to 10 politicians. Owing to the mudslinging, the credibility of politicians is at stake,” he said.

On Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai speaking on pension for emergency detainees, Sindhia said, “None of the detainees had demanded pension so far. If they are planning to implement it, then the government should ensure that it is not misused.”