By IANS,
New Delhi : The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Saturday demanded that the proposed communal violence bill should stick to its main aim and not include “other conflict interest like caste”.
Speaking to reporters after the National Integration Council meet, CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury said they have just two demands about the proposed bill.
“First, it should be confined to communal violence. We cannot have all sorts of other conflict interest coming in like caste,” Yechury said.
“Secondly, the principles of federal system and rights of state governments cannot be in anyway be encroached upon or diluted. Keeping that in mind, the draft should be made,” he added.
“A bill like this concerning communal violence and the rehabilitation of victims is something that is required.
“That is something in the Common Minimum Programme of UPA-1 which we had endorsed, and on that basis a draft was prepared and referred to the standing committee,” Yechury said.
The Left party had given outside support to UPA-I alliance from 2004-08.
He said there were problems in the earlier draft.
“There were certain problems and we gave a note of dissent on that basis. It was returned to the cabinet; after that nothing seems to have happened… Then they said (government) that the bill has been drafted.
“When it has not come anywhere, neither has that bill been introduced in the parliament. Nothing.”
The draft of the new bill, which was taken up at the NIC, was opposed by the Bharatiya Janata Party, Biju Janata Dal and Trinamool Congress.
The proposed communal violence bill intends to prevent and control targeted violence against the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and religious and linguistic minorities.
According to the draft bill prepared by the National Advisory Council (NAC), the legislation is intended to enhance state accountability and correct discriminatory exercise of state powers in the context of identity-based violence.