BJP giving political colour to religious conversion issue — Mayawati

Lucknow, July 5 (PTI): BSP supremo Mayawati on Monday accused the BJP of giving political colour to the issue of religious conversion in an attempt to hide its failures ahead of the 2022 assembly elections in five states.

"It seems that now they (BJP) want to give political colour to (religious conversions) to cover their weaknesses ahead of the assembly elections to be held in some states of the country. If this is really a conspiracy, it is highly condemnable," Mayawati said.

Alleging that the BJP has a political interest in cases of religious conversion, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said, looking at the entire Muslim community with suspicion is wrong.

It is completely illegal to convert someone by intimidating, threatening or luring them and strict action should be taken against the culprits after proper investigation of such cases, Mayawati said.

The BSP chief further said as per a well thought out strategy and conspiracy , it is being portrayed as a Hindu-Muslim issue .

Looking at the entire Muslim community with suspicion is not correct This is the belief of Muslim community and other people also. This is creating a sense of insecurity among Muslims. The BSP condemns it in the strongest terms," she said

It is being claimed that a conspiracy to harm the country under the guise of religious conversion was going on for a long time. If this is true then what were the intelligence agencies of the country doing till now. The action that is being taken now should have been taken long back," she added.

Mayawati, without naming anyone, claimed the properties confiscated or demolished by the Yogi Adityanath government as they were allegedly owned by mafia elements mostly belonged to Muslims.

The state government has tightened the noose on BSP MLA from Mau Mukhtar Ansari and his associates. While proceedings are going on against them, many of their properties were attached and illegal constructions were demolished.