Notwithstanding the opposition by its National Democratic Alliance partner Janata Dal (United) on the issue of passing an anti-conversion law in Jharkhand, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday defended the law as being against 'forcible conversions' and in tune with the observations of the Supreme Court and said the party would talk to its ally.
BJP Spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad admitted that there were 'honest differences' with the JD(U) on the issue and said the proposed anti-conversion law was not against 'voluntary' conversion by individuals, but against conversions induced by monetary influence and by offering other allurements prompting change of religion.
He said in states where the BJP was in power, the law will be enforced subsequently and in states where it had to depend on the support of its allies, the party would try and convince them that the law was acceptable to the Supreme Court.
The BJP's reaction comes in the wake of the National Executive of the JD(U) adopting a resolution moved by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar yesterday that it was not bound to support the anti-conversion law in Jharkhand.
