Gandhinagar: Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has taken the cue from Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa to oppose the anti-communal violence bill prepared by the Centre.
Modi today tweeted: "Communal Violence Bill is ill-conceived, poorly drafted & a recipe for disaster! My leet to PM opposing this Bill."
@narendramodi: "Timing of Communal Violence Bill is suspicious. Political considerations & votebank politics rather than genuine concerns are guiding it."
@narendramodi: "Communal Violence Bill is in clear violation of India's federal structure. Centre is busy forming laws on matters that are in the State List."
@narendramodi: "If a Legislation has to be implemented by the States, should it not be legislated by the States?"
@narendramodi: "If implemented, Communal Violence Bill would fragment society & increase violence. It will have results opposite of the stated objective."
@narendramodi: "Urged PM to seek wider consultation with the states & various stakeholders of the Bill before proceeding any further on a Bill like this."
WHAT IS COMMUNAL VIOLENCE BILL?
Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill, drafted by Sonia Gandhi's National Advisory Council (NAC), is going to be introduced in Parliament's winter session beginning Thursday.
The Bill provides for setting up of a National Authority for Communal Harmony, Justice and Reparation Authority which shall have its own police and investigative staff under a DGP-rank officer, and shall have the powers of a civil court to record statements of witnesses, documents, and forward such cases to Designated Courts.
The National Authority shall have the powers to utilize the services of any officer of investigating agency of the Centre or state governments to conduct investigations into communal and targeted violence cases.
Similarly, State Authorities will be set up at the state level to deal with communal and targeted violence, and monitor relief and rehabilitation.
The bill also provides for ordering judicial probe headed by High Court judge within 90 days of communal and targeted violence.
The bill which has been with the Parliament Standing Committee, has reportedly been amended by the committee.
BJP has alleged that the new amended Bill proposes to impose duties on the central and state governments so that they prevent and control targeted violence, while exercising their powers.
"The earlier version was highly discriminatory in that based on one's birth in a particular religious community one was pre-slotted as an accused, or as a victim. Its typical feature was prejudice and not equality before law," BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman said.
Congress leaders say, the bill has acquired urgency after the Muzaffarnagar communal violence in which several thousand people have become homeless, and are staying in dingy refugee camps. These communal riot victims are yet to return to their villages because of fear of further retribution.
