Anti-communal violence Bill caught in political battle ahead of Parliament's winter session

Anti-communal violence Bill caught in political battle ahead of Parliament's winter session

New Delhi: The Centre has made major changes in a controversial Bill to check communal violence, which had been opposed by several states and the opposition as an attempt to infringe on the Constitutional rights of a state. But the redrafted Bill has failed to end the political divide ahead of the winter session of Parliament, with the BJP today accusing the government of trying to polarize voters.

10 developments in the story:

  1. The government said the amended Bill takes care of the main critique of state governments, that it violates the federal structure by allowing the Centre to intervene in restoring law and order in riot-hit areas without imposing President's rule.
  2. "There will be no interference by the Centre. The state has to designate a competent authority to take action in a riot-affected area," Minority Affairs Minister K Rehman Khan told NDTV.
  3. The Centre has also agreed to revise a provision that the BJP said discriminates between majority and minority communities by assuming that only members of the minority community can be targeted during a riot. The Government says the revised draft will penalise anyone causing disturbance, irrespective of religion, caste and linguistic group.
  4. Complaining that the government had not shared the new draft with the opposition, Arun Jaitley today said, "It appears that on the eve of the Lok Sabha elections, in order to polarize the country on communal lines, the home ministry has again written a letter to the state governments. There hasn't so far been adequate consultation with the stakeholders."
  5. The opposition has accused the ruling Congress of trying to pass the Bill ahead of national polls due by May, in the hope of winning Muslim votes. Arun Jaitley questioned the very basis of the Bill, since law and order is a state subject.
  6. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has also opposed the Bill in a strong letter to the Prime Minister, calling the changes "cosmetic at best and highly objectionable."
  7. Ms Jayalalithaa flagged concerns about provisions "targeting" government officials. "It may render their functioning almost impossible while trying to grapple with communally sensitive situations," she said.
  8. The 'Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill' was drafted by the National Advisory Council or NAC, a group of activists and civil society representatives chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
  9. The government, which wants to bring the Bill in the coming session, has begun consultations with state governments on the new Bill.
  10. The proposed law came back into focus after the Muzaffarnagar riots in which 60 people were killed and nearly 40,000 displaced.

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