The Question Of Religious Faith

Chief Minister Pema Khandu’s announcement to scrap the state anti-conversion law ruffles feathers in the Sangh

- Kaushik Deka

On June 28, at a function to mark the 10th death anniversary of Prem Bhai, a revered local Christian missionary, Pema Khandu announced that his government would repeal the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, passed in 1978 to check proselytisation. The chief minister said that the law restrains freedom of religion and has no place in a secular India. “In today’s context, this act doesn’t have any meaning for Christians, indigenous faiths or any other religion. The act is neither harmful nor helpful to any religious group,” the chief minister told india today.

The announcement evoked strong reactions across the state. The BJP’s ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, has asked the chief minister not to act on his announcement. “Khandu may be hoping to win Christian votes in the next elections, but a repeal of this act will be a bigger threat to the state’s indigenous tribes than to the Hindus. The law was passed to curb rampant conversions, primarily from the indigenous faiths to Christianity,” a senior RSS pracharak said on condition of anonymity.