JAIPUR: The Rajasthan Sadbhav Manch has urged the Governor, Pratibha Patil, not to give her assent to the controversial Freedom of Religion Bill passed in the Assembly's Budget session and return it to the State Government for reconsideration.

The Manch alleged that the Bill was aimed at furthering the communal agenda of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

A delegation of the Manch, headed by its convenor Sawai Singh, met the Governor here on Tuesday and pointed out that the Bill had banned all religious conversions, except re-conversion to Hinduism, to create hatred against minority communities and fulfil the fascist designs of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which decides the course of action for the ruling party.

The members of the delegation told Ms. Patil that the developments in Rajasthan, ever since the BJP took over the reigns, had given disturbing indications that the State was following the Gujarat pattern of victimisation of minorities. "The BJP Government is preparing the ground for replication of the Gujarat model of mayhem and violence, which will become inevitable when the Sangh Parivar succeeds in communalising the whole society,'' said Mr. Singh.

The members of the delegation included Rev. Reymond Cohelo of Rajasthan Christian Fellowship, Qari Moinuddin of the Rajasthan Muslim Forum, Than Singh of People's Union for Civil Liberties, T.C. Rahul of All India Buddha Mahasabha, Mohammed Salim of Jamat-e-Islami Hind and Abdul Lateef of All India Mill Council.

A memorandum submitted to the Governor on behalf of Sadbhav Manch -- which is an umbrella organisation of civil rights bodies -- stated that the State Government's actions such as withdrawal of ban on distribution of trishuls, sponsoring communal riots in several towns, withdrawal of 200 criminal cases relating to riots, extending protection to the Sangh outfits in their campaigns against minorities and the recent attacks on Christians on the pretext of opposition to a book would damage the delicate fabric of peace and divide the society.

The Manch accused the BJP-led Government of masterminding the recent spate of attacks on Christians by managing the seizure of the book "Haqeeqat'' to justify the introduction of the anti-conversion Bill in the Assembly. "The passage of the Bill on the Budget session's last day without any debate, taking advantage of the BJP's brute majority, reveals the ugly mindset of the Sangh which is misusing the State power to repeat the Gujarat events in Rajasthan,'' said Mr. Salim.

The memorandum, while requesting the Governor not to sign the Bill in, pointed out that it violated the freedom of faith and worship enshrined in the Constitution. "The Bill will give a free licence to Sangh outfits to terrorise minorities and bring them into the fold of Hinduism. The RSS will also use the Bill as a tool to persecute Dalits,'' it stated.

The delegation members drew Ms. Patil's attention to the fact that she had a constitutional right to stop the enactment of a law based on the false presumption of minorities converting Hindus by force or allurement. "By exercising this right, you will be preventing the bloodshed in Rajasthan on the Gujarat pattern for which all preparations have been made under the State protection,'' they said.

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