Opposition not ready for debate on conversion: Prasad

Union Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Sunday said opposition parties were not ready for a debate on conversion issue that has rocked Parliament for the last two weeks and blamed them for stalling the proceedings in Rajya Sabha.

“Lok Sabha is going on, but why not Rajya Sabha? It is because we are ready for a debate on religious conversion, but the opposition parties, including Congress, JD(U), Samajwadi Party, CPI, CPM are not. They know they will be exposed if there is a debate,” Prasad told reporters.

Describing the deadlock in Rajya Sabha as ‘unfortunate’, Prasad said the opposition parties were indulging in the logjam deliberately.

He said the BJP does not believe in forced religious conversion and the party is against such incidents wherever they happen. “Today there is peace and harmony in the country, but the opposition parties do not believe in them. They did not raise voices when there were 100 riots in Uttar Pradesh or when Muzaffarnagar riots happened and people were killed. Likewise, they do not want a debate on religious conversion,” Prasad said.