Bengaluru: With the Congress govt considering repeal of Karnataka’s anti-conversion law ahead of the winter session in Belagavi, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has urged chief minister DK Shivakumar not to withdraw or dilute the legislation, bringing the party’s unfulfilled election promise back into focus.In a memorandum submitted to Shivakumar Saturday, VHP functionaries and civil society representatives opposed demands by Archbishop of Bangalore Peter Machado and other organisations to repeal the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act-2022.The BJP govt, led by then CM Basavaraj Bommai, enacted the law in Sept 2022. Ahead of the 2023 assembly elections, Congress had promised to repeal “all unjust and other anti-people laws passed by the BJP govt within one year”. Siddaramaiah reiterated the commitment after the first cabinet meeting on May 20, 2023.Nearly three years later, the promise remains unfulfilled. Meanwhile, 25 cases have been registered under the Act since Congress came to power in May 2023, taking the total number of cases filed since its enactment to 46.The VHP maintained that the law was religion-neutral and prohibited conversions through force, fraud, misrepresentation, coercion and material inducement. “We urge the state govt to reject these motivated demands and maintain the rule of law to protect the demographic, social and cultural fabric of Karnataka,” the memorandum stated..
