Narendra Modi writes to PM opposing communal violence bill

GANDHINAGAR: BJP's prime ministerial candidate and Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh opposing the proposed Prevention of Communal Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill, 2013.

"The bill is ill conceived and poorly drafted. It is an attempt to encroach upon the authority of the state governments," Modi has written. He has reiterated that there is a need for wider consultation among various stakeholders.

Modi has questioned the Centre's hurry in introducing the bill in Parliament, saying that such an attempt before the Lok Sabha polls is suspicious and is driven by vote bank politics rather than genuine concern for preventing communal violence.

Stating the shortcomings in the proposed bill, Modi has written that the section defining "hostile environment" is wide ranging, vague and open to misuse. Likewise, the definition of communal violence will raise questions on whether the Centre is introducing the concept of "thought crime" in the context of the Indian criminal jurisprudence. Modi adds in his letter that these provisions have also not been examined from the view of the Evidence Act.

Strongly opposing the move to make public servants, police and security agencies criminally liable, Modi has warned that such a move can adversely impact the morale of law and order enforcement agencies besides making them vulnerable to political victimisation.

Modi has expressed concern that the proposed legislation will further divide society on religious and linguistic lines. "These identities would become more reinforced and even ordinary incidents of violence would be given a communal colour, thus giving the opposite result of what the bill intends to achieve," the letter says.