Slamming the draft communal violence bill as "fascist", Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Friday said it would give sweeping powers to the Centre and keep the states under constant threat of dismissal.
A recent national consultation of Christian leaders has opposed the Communal Violence Bill for being inadequate, reports Yogi Sikand
After much delay, the controversial Communal Violence Prevention Bill was on Monday cleared by the Union Cabinet after removal of certain provisions, reducing the role of the legislation in handling of riots and making it neutral between communities.
The proposed Communal Violence Bill on Saturday ran into trouble with the National Democratic Alliance-ruled states and Congress ally Trinamool Congress opposing it as "dangerous" legislation and arguing that it would hurt the federal structure of the country.
The National Advisory Council's Communal Violence Bill has already run into rough weather after it faced protests from various sections of the society. The bill is dangerous in nature and the provisions of this bill give the impression that every act of communal violence is presumably committed by a member of the majority community, say those opposing the bill.
Trying to allay apprehensions of then Bharatiya Janata Party and some state governments, the Centre has decided to drop several provisions in the controversial communal violence bill to ensure that it is neutral to all communities and also reduce the role of the central government in case of riots.
In a regime dominated by scams, scandals and corruption, the Congress has zeroed in on the Communal Violence Bill as the piece de resistance of UPA II in a bid to shift the focus from its own corruption to taking on the BJP and in the process isolating it from its own allies.
The Union Cabinet on Thursday night cleared a bill to check communal violence besides some other legislations including bringing the one that seeks to bring parity in perks between ministers and Members of Parliament.
"If the bill were to be taken up in its present form, it would fail to serve any purpose; it would seem that the government's objective was to further make lives of innocent citizens more difficult rather than providing any respite to them."
The National Advisory Council headed by Sonia Gandhi favoured drastic amendments to the Communal Violence Bill and recommended the creation of a national authority to check communal and sectarian violence. This was the view expressed by most members of the NAC at its meeting chaired by Gandhi. At its next meeting, the NAC is expected to deliberate on how a national authority could set up within the framework of the Constitution.
Asserting that the Communal Violence Bill will create bitterness among people, Bharatiya Janata Party president Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said his party would oppose it in Parliament as well as outside.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday said it will "unequivocally" oppose the Communal Violence Bill when it comes up for discussion and passage in Parliament as it is a "threat" to communal harmony and an "attack" on the federal structure.
Terming the proposed Communal Violence Bill as "dangerous", the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday said that the bill presupposed that no member of the majority community could ever be a victim of the communal violence.
Senior politicians and legal experts apprehended its misuse.
Pitching for the safe passage of Communal Violence Bill in the current session of Parliament, Minorities Affairs Minister K Rahman Khan on Thursday said it is not a divisive bill and efforts are on to arrive at a consensus on the issue.
BJP leader Arun Jaitley argues that the communal violence bill is a dangerous and discriminatory law which presumes that the majority community is always to blame for communal violence.
Action has been initiated on making the Communal Violence Bill a law to protect minorities from targeted attacks, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Monday said, but was not sure if it will be tabled in the Winter Session of Parliament.
Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Friday wrote letters to fellow chief ministers, urging them to oppose the Communal Violence Bill saying it was a blatant intrusion upon the powers of the state governments.
The manipulative syntax of the bill smacks of a furtive agenda to tilt the scales in favour of a specific community at the cost of the majority and violates the basic tenet of equality before the law, says Vivek Gumaste.
Extending support to communal violence Bill, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Friday said he was disheartened that it was "put on hold" in Parliament by the Congress, which buckled under the pressure of communal forces like the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Proposed communal violence protection bill to be more stringent
Questioning the timing of bringing the Communal Violence Bill, Narendra Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, describing the proposed legislation as "ill-conceived, poorly drafted and a recipe for disaster".
A bill allowing the Centre to declare an area in a state as communally disturbed on its own and send central forces without the state's request, is likely to be introduced in the ongoing session of Parliament.
Members of the National Advisory Council on Friday demanded tabling of the Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence bill in the winter session of Parliament.
National Human Rights Commission on Thursday said its burden would increase if the Communal Violence Bill is passed in Parliament in its "present form".
The opposition on Wednesday scuttled the introduction of the controversial Communal Violence Prevention Bill in the Rajya Sabha, contending that Parliament does not have the competence to legislate this law, as it will violate the spirit of Federalism.
The National Advisory Council on Friday placed in the public domain for comments the draft 'Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill, 2011'.
The government will 'modify' the Bill if necessary by incorporating suggestions, said Patil.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram has said the government would soon introduce the Communal Violence (Prevention, Control and Rehabilitation) Bill with amendments to prevent violence in the name of caste and religion.
The bill will be finalised after consultations, Minister of State for Home Affairs Sriprakash Jaiswal said Parliament.
Actor and social activist Rahul Bose launched a campaign by writing a postcard to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to fulfill the nine-year old promise of tabling The Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations Bill). Bose launched the send to PM postcard campaign as member of 'Justice for All' organisation.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of spreading falsehoods and offering no relief to the poor through his speeches. She made these remarks at a rally in Bhangar, South 24 Parganas district, ahead of Modi's address to the nation.
The Karnataka Legislative Council passed a bill to curb hate speech, facing strong opposition from BJP and JD(S), who criticized it as 'draconian' and a threat to free speech. The bill proposes jail terms and fines for hate crimes and repeated offenses.
The controversial Communal Violence Bill and the bill for creation of Telangana will be tabled in the next session of Parliament, Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said on Thursday.
Ajit Pawar became a ray of hope for Muslims, the only man in power who could resolve their grievances.
Noting that Muzaffarnagar riots have underlined inadequacies in existing laws to deal with such clashes, Minority Affairs Minister K Rahman Khan on Monday pitched for introduction of the Communal Violence Bill in Winter Session of Parliament.
A showdown between Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party appears imminent over the communal violence bill with the ruling party dismissing as "pernicious propaganda" the latter's criticism that the law was fraught with dangerous consequence.
'Kashmir needs to be divided and we need the land of Panun Kashmir in Kashmir.'
Communist Party of India-Marxist on Monday said the recent communal incidents were part of a "planned effort" by communal-political forces and the upcoming Lok Sabha polls seemed to be a "catalyst" for communal activities.
This is one bill that will ensure that no politician, official or person can play politics with the lives of any other person and if they do, they will be arrested. It is time for such a bill to protect the minorities, says Neeta Kolhatkar.
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