Communal Violence Bill may be misused: BJP

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Thursday strongly criticised the draft of the Communal Violence Bill, and alleged the legislation is "bound to be misused" as it says that members of the majority community are always at fault during riots.

"I have no doubt that once this law is implemented with the intention with which it is being drafted, it will create disharmony in the inter-community relations in India. It is a law fraught with dangerous consequences. It is bound to be misused," Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said in an analysis of the draft bill issued by the party.

"This draft bill proceeds on a presumption that communal trouble is created only by members of the majority community and never by a member of the minority community. Thus, offences committed by members of the majority community against members of the minority community are punishable. Identical offences committed by minority groups against the majority are not deemed to be offences at all," Jaitley said.

"The draft bill ostensibly appears to be a part of an endeavour to prevent and punish communal violence in the country. Though that may be the ostensible object of the proposed law, its real object is to the contrary," he said.

The BJP leader said the bill perceived that communal trouble was created only by the majority communities.

"No member of the majority community can ever be a victim. This draft law thus proceeds on an assumption which re-defines the offences in a highly discriminatory manner," he said.

"If implemented in a manner as provided by this bill, it opens up a huge scope for abuse," he said.

Jaitley also alleged that the bill was against the federal structure of the country.

"If the proposed bill becomes a law, then effectively it is the central government which would have usurped the jurisdiction of the states and legislated on a subject squarely within the domain of the states," he added.

 

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Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov witnessing the signing of agreements between two countries, in New Delhi on May 18, 2011.

(Photo: BM Meena)