Team Herald
MARGAO: Responding to the recent statement of Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant on the anti-conversion bill, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday stated that Goa does not need anti-conversion legislation as there are enough provisions in the Indian Penal Code (IPC) already.
It may be recalled Sawant had stated that the State government may introduce an anti-conversion bill during the month-long Monsoon Session beginning on July 11, in order to prevent religious conversions.
Reacting to this, at a media briefing, AAP’s working president Venzy Viegas said, “The anti-conversion law in Goa is a pointless debate, especially when the State is grappling with hard-pressing issues such as water and electricity, unemployment, rise in crime rate, etc.”
“The CM has made such a statement in order to please the party high command. He has disenfranchised the people of Goa by making such a wrong statement. There has not been a time in over 60 years for lawmakers in Goa to debate or act on this and nothing warrants it today. The IPC and other laws provide the law enforcement agencies with sufficient provisions to deal with isolated cases of unlawful religious conversions if any occur in Goa,” he added.
AAP further called on the Chief Minister and the BJP government to focus on addressing key issues related to governance that affect the common man such as tackling price rises, preparing to face the fury of upcoming monsoons, improving the quality of schools, health services, roads, power and water shortages.
