New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Monday said a national law must make clear how voluntary conversion can take place while he also asked people not to expect a big bang union budget.
In an interview to news channel NDTV, Jaitley admitted that the controversy over conversions was diffusing the development message of the government.
“Yes, I am concerned about headlines being hijacked. Our focus is development,” he said.
“Let’s have a national law which says how should voluntary conversion take place. The law has to be fundamental right compatible… Reconversion is also a conversion – so you’ll have to have the same standards for both,” he said.
On Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat’s controversial comments on conversion, he said that Bhagwat has “said what he has before too, but media, opposition is just looking at controversies now”.
He also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed his disapproval on the issue at a Bharatiya Janata Party MPs meeting.
“The PM has made his position clear.”
The issue of “ghar wapsi” or re-conversion to Hinduism rocked parliament’s winter session with many days of parliament work lost as opposition parties attacked the government. (IANS)