Setting the ball before the opposition to take a stand on the issue of forced conversions in the country, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Sunday said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has amply made it clear that it is ready to introduce an anti-conversion law to stop such acts.
"Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu has made a statement in the Parliament that in order to stop forced conversions, the government is ready to bring in a law. Now, it is for the [opposition] parties to decide and take a call as to whether it wants to stop forced conversions in the country," Shah said here at a press conference.
Shah further noted the reduction of petrol and diesel rates since the BJP swept into power earlier this year, the first government with full clear majority after 30 years.
"The year 2014 holds special significance as the people of the nation have given a clear majority to a political party after 30 years. The prices of petrol and diesel have come down more than 10 times in the six months since the BJP came to power," he said.
Shah also talked about the various developmental initiatives started by the government, ranging from 'Make in India' to the 'Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana'.
"The government launched the 'Make in India' programme in order to address the issue of unemployment and to provide better employment opportunities. This program will boost our manufacturing sector as more than 3,000 foreign companies have expressed wish to invest in this sector," he said.
"Our government has initiated the work of creating 100 'Smart Cities' in India. More than 8.5 crore bank accounts have been opened under the 'Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana', and the government has given life insurance worth Rs one lakh to all the account holders," he added.
The BJP chief further stated that Prime Minister Modi's efforts to have an alternate body to the Planning Commission were in the spirit of co-operative federalism.
"The government took a decision to form an alternative body in place of the Planning Commission and the Prime Minister has introduced the concept of cooperative federalism," he said.
Shah also credited the BJP-led NDA Government for successfully ensuring the release of five Indian fishermen from Sri Lanka and termed it as a big achievement.
Shah's two-day trip in Tamil Nadu, which is his first after assuming charge as the BJP chief, is aimed at boosting the morale of the party cadres in the state, as it sets its sights for making inroads ahead of the 2016 assembly polls.
