Participating in a discussion on a private member's bill seeking a ban on witchcraft, BJP member Arjun Ram Meghwal said there was a need to differentiate between superstition and healing treatment.
Observing that even MPs help spread superstition, he quoted some experiences of a fellow member's strong belief that performing certain rituals facilitated his election to Parliament.
He recalled that after the gruesome killing of dacoit- -turned politician Phoolan Devi in her official residence, many members were reluctant to occupy the house fearing that it was haunted.
"We also suffer from such superstition. What kind of superstition is this?" he said.
The bill titled Witchcraft Bill 2010 was introduced by Om Prakash Yadav. Presenting the bill, he said there was no adequate provision in the law to provide for stringent punishment to those found guilty in this heinous crime.
Satpal Maharaj (Congress) also supported the bill saying all kinds of witchcraft should be banned.
Tathagat Sathpathy (BJD) objected to the Bill which seeks to ban practising, promoting and advertising of witchcraft.
He contended every citizen has the right to practice his belief. Sathpathy wondered whether Feng Shui, Vaastu and Reiki would be banned as well.
He favoured enacting a law to curtail atrocities against women and children on the pretext of witchcraft.
Shailendra Kumar (SP), Vijay Bahadur Singh (BSP), Jagdambika Pal (Cong), Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (Cong), S Semmalai (AIADMK), Hukum Deo Narain Yadav (BJP), Gorakhnath Pandey, Kirit Solanki (BJP) and Mahendra Singh Chauhan (BJP) also participated in the discussion.
