Lok Sabha sees protests, disruptions over conversion row

5 Dariya News

New Delhi 22-Dec-2014

Proceedings in the Lok Sabha were also disrupted Monday over the conversion row with the house adjourned thrice as as opposition parties protested and demanded a statement from the prime minister in the matter.

The main opposition Congress staged walkout from the house over the issue.The issue was raised by Congress' K.C. Venugopal during zero hour, who said there were reports of incidents of re-conversion to Hinduism from Kerala.Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said neither the government nor the Bharatiya Janata Party was involved in such acts and the state governments should take action if anyone violates the law.He said the government does not support conversion or re-conversion."Government is nowhere in the picture, the party (BJP) is nowhere in the picture. If any inpidual does it, action has to be taken by the state government," he said.

Naidu said: "The entire country is peaceful, some people are unhappy. ... You want to make a political issue, make it outside. You can't go levelling allegations"."Action has to be taken by the state government and unfortunately it belongs to Venugopal's party (Congress). Who stopped the Congress government (in Kerala) from taking action? Action should be taken by the state government."Opposition and treasury benches traded charges after Congress' leader in the house Mallikarjun Kharge said: "Everyday such incidents ... of 'ghar wapasi' are happening in various states... Government is indirectly supporting it."

Soon the opposition MPs were seen near the speaker's podium and Deputy Speaker M. Thambidurai then adjourned the house for an hour.When the house reconvened, members continued to raise slogans forcing two more adjournments.In between, Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Pappu Yadav was reprimanded by Thambidurai for allegedly throwing a paper at the speaker's chair. A. Sampath of the Communist Party of India-Marxist felt unwell following which the house was further adjourned for half an hour.The Lok Sabha has already debated the conversion issue last week, and Naidu had replied to the debate.