RAIPUR: The opposition BJP kicked off Halla Bol (raise your voice) campaign against the Chhattisgarh government over a rise in alleged incidents of ‘religious conversion’ in the state. With about two years remaining for the Assembly elections, the issue of religious conversion has snowballed into a major controversy after the Sukma district police chief’s claimed in July this year that Christian missionaries were encouraging conversion.
The BJP claimed that religious conversions are being carried out with the connivance of the state government. BJP MPs, MLAs, senior leaders and cadres organised a ‘peace foot march’ from Azad Chowk to Rajbhawan where they submitted a memorandum to Governor Anusuiya Uike.
“We have expressed our genuine concerns with the Governor over the increasing incidents of religious conversion, and those involved in it are getting the state shelter in Chhattisgarh,” said Raman Singh, the former CM and BJP national vice-president.
The BJP state president Vishnu Deo Sai said, earlier tribals were lured into religious conversion, but now, every segment of the population is being targeted right from state capital Raipur to the remote tribal areas. “So we have urged the intervention of the Governor,” said Brijmohan Agrawal, a senior BJP legislator.
The opposition is planning to organise demonstrations outside police stations in every district of the state.
‘OPPOSITION HAS RUN OUT OF AMMUNITION TO TARGET GOVERNMENT’
The ruling Congress party has called the BJP’s allegation a “desperate attempt” to regain the lost ground. “The opposition now lacks issues to target the state government. It is trying to exploit the sentiments of the people as a last-ditch effort to revive their political fortune,” claimed chairman of the Congress’ media cell.