New Delhi

BJP warns Centre against using Article 356 against Orissa

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party has warned the Centre against using Article 356 of the Constitution to impose President’s Rule in Orissa.

This would amount to “constitutional misadventure,” party leader Venkaiah Naidu said here on Monday. “Use Article 356 at your own peril… Such a step would once again ensure a thumping victory for the Biju Janata Dal-BJP coalition in Orissa.”

Mr. Naidu denied that Sangh Parivar organisations like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal were behind the heinous acts of violence against Christians in Kandhamal district of the State.

“The root cause is the social conflict between tribals and converted Christians belonging to scheduled castes,” he said.

Mr. Naidu and BJP general secretary Ram Lal recently visited the State on the directive of BJP president Rajnath Singh and met party leaders, several Ministers and the Chief Minister.

Mr. Naidu charged the Centre with “not understanding” what was going on in Kandhamal.

In response to a question on religious conversions, he said: “In my view, there is a need for a common anti-conversion law for the whole country.”

He admitted that several States, including Orissa, did have such a law. But had any prosecutions taken place in Orissa under the law that forbid forced conversions or conversion by allurement? “I have no information. I will collect the statistics and let you know,” he told a reporter.

Asked whether the State government failed to implement the law on forced conversions, Mr. Naidu did not respond.

He was asked about reports of threats to those in relief camps that they would not be allowed to go back to their villages unless they re-converted to Hinduism.

“Those reports are wrong,” he said.

Mr. Naidu rejected the view that naxalites had done VHP activist Lakshmanananda to death as claimed by them.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu