Summary:
New Delhi, Dec 7 (PTI) BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Tuesday called for the revocation of reservation and other benefits of a member of a Scheduled Tribe (ST) community who opts for religious conversion, asserting that this would help prevent conversions.Speaking during the Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, Dubey said religious conversion has become a big issue in his home state, Jharkhand.He said the issue is on the rise as people are being converted through lure and temptation.Dubey said Article 341 of the Constitution, under which reservation has been given to the Scheduled Caste (SC) communities, states that the SC status of a person will cease to exist if he or she undertakes religious conversion.He urged the Centre to have a similar provision for STs as well so that the reservation and other benefits are revoked upon conversion.The country will benefit from this and it will also put a stop to religious conversions, Dubey said.BJP MP Dhal Singh Bisen from Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh also raised the issue of religious conversions in his area and said the poor are being offered money to convert."I urge the government to intervene and stop this.
People who convert should not get the benefits of reservation," he said.Meanwhile, Congress leader Manish Tewari raised the issue of news reports about China establishing villages in Arunachal Pradesh and said the Centre had offered no clarification over these reports."I want to request the government through you that it should initiate a debate in the House and put forward the real situation before the House with respect to the reports that had come in the public domain relating to China establishing villages on our land...and the tense situation in eastern Ladakh since April 2020," he said.Speaking during the Zero Hour, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram took a swipe at the Centre while seeking direct air connectivity between Delhi and Tiruchirappalli, saying it will encourage people to visit the ancient temple in Srirangam, instead of "newer temples." "I know that there is a big move towards people visiting many temples, particularly new temples.
This will encourage people to come and visit the Srirangam temple, which is an ancient temple where Lord Rama is supposed to have come and prayed.
So instead of newer temples, people can come to more ancient temples that are there in Tamil Nadu," he said.
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