Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader SR Ladhar on Friday slammed the AAP government over the anti-sacrilege Bill, saying it lacked a provision to punish desecration of idols and scriptures revered by the Dalit community.
“This omission clearly reflects AAP’s disregard for Dalit religious sentiments,” he told reporters here, adding that the Bill omitted any reference to works and idols of Guru Ravidas, saint Kabir and Bhagwan Valmiki, saint Kabir and saint Nabha Das.
He alleged that while the Bill was cleared by the Cabinet and tabled in the Vidhan Sabha, none of the Dalit ministers or AAP MLAs raised any objections to the omission.
Ladhar also alleged that the government was using such legislation to divert public attention from pressing issues in the state, including the failure of the land pooling scheme, the worsening drug crisis, and deteriorating law and order.
Meanwhile Punjab Minister Balbir Singh said the Bill was “all-inclusive and democratic in nature”.
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