National News

Himachal Pradesh Bans ‘Mass Conversion’, Announces 10 Years Jail For Forced Religion Change

Himachal Pradesh Bans 'Mass Conversion'
The Himachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2022, was passed unanimously with a voice vote.

Mumbai: In line with a few other BJP-run states, the Himachal Pradesh Assembly passed a measure on Saturday banning “mass conversion” and increasing the maximum sentence for any forced conversion to 10 years in prison.
The move comes ahead of the assembly election in the hill state later this year.

The Himachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2022, was passed unanimously with a voice vote. The measure would extend the maximum sentence for forced conversions from seven years to a maximum of ten years and defines “mass conversion” as the conversion of two or more people at once.

The measure was introduced on Friday by the Jai Ram Thakur-led administration. The Himachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 2019, which was just enacted 18 months ago, has been strengthened by this legislation.

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15 months after it was approved by the state assembly, on December 21, 2020, the 2019 Act became effective. The 2006 statute, which had more lenient penalties, had been repealed by the 2019 version.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur stated that the 2019 Act did not contain a provision to prevent mass conversion and that “hence, a provision to this effect is being introduced” when introducing the bill in the assembly on Friday.

The BJP has been a vocal supporter of anti-conversion laws and many party-ruled states have introduced similar measures.

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National Politics

Pavan K. Varma Resigns From TMC

Sakeena Sayyed
Pavan K. Varma resigns from tmc
Pavan K. Varma quits TMC two days after Bihar CM Nitish Kumar quit his alliance with the BJP and formed a new government.

Mumbai: Pavan K. Varma, vice president of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and a former Janata Dal-United (JDU) MP, resigned on Friday and delivered his letter of resignation to Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal, igniting speculation that he might rejoin the Nitish Kumar-led party.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Congress, and other partners created a new administration two days after Bihar Chief Minister Kumar broke his alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

On Friday,  Varma, a former Rajya Sabha member, tweeted, “Dear @MamataOfficial ji, please accept my resignation from the @AITCofficial. I want to thank you for the warm welcome accorded to me, and for your affection and courtesies. I look forward to remaining in touch. Wishing you all the best, and with warm regards, Pavan K. Varma,” indicating an amicable separation with West Bengal’s ruling party.

TMC Rajya Sabha member and national spokesperson Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said ,“Varma came on his own and has left on his own. I cannot say whether this has any link to the changing political equations in Bihar.”

The TMC has lost another high-profile member in Varma in the last several months.

Former National Democratic Alliance (NDA) minister Yashwant Sinha left the TMC in July after running as the opposition’s presidential candidate against Droupadi Murmu.

When Varma and pollster Prashant Kishor vigorously opposed the divisive Citizenship Amendment Act in 2020, the JD(U) ousted them from the party (CAA).

Additionally, Pavan K. Varma made public a letter he wrote to Kumar in January 2020 in which he questioned the choice to run in the Delhi assembly election that year. Varma quoted Kumar as being sceptical of the BJP and its ideological forebear, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, in the letter (RSS). In his scornful reply, Kumar told Varma to go wherever he pleased.

 

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