Karnataka has opposed the proposed Prevention of Communal Violence Bill by the Centre by terming it as a move that could infringe on the powers of state governments.
Karnataka has opposed the proposed Prevention of Communal Violence Bill by the Centre by terming it as a move that could infringe on the powers of state governments and expressed apprehension of its misuse by the Union government or state governments.
Participating in the National Integration Council meeting chaired by prime minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on Saturday, chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda said: “Our state is making all efforts and also succeeding in maintaining communal harmony. We have serious concerns about the proposed Prevention of Communal Violence Bill. In fact, the very idea of a central legislation to tackle a state subject goes against the very spirit of our Constitution.”
Law and order has always been the responsibility of the states and the federal framework of the Constitution allows state governments to deal with the sensitive issues pertaining to communal disputes in a manner suitable and relevant to a particular state.
A central legislation would not only infringe on the powers of the state governments but also could lead to being politically misused by the Centre, said Gowda while expressing apprehensions about the motive for introducing such a bill.
Gowda felt that the proposed law has several implementation-related issues and is untenable at the ground level. The proposed national and state authorities under the law will have sweeping powers and could become instruments that could be misused for political ends either by the Centre or state governments. Like in many parts of the country, Karnataka is a multi-religious, multi-lingual and has multi-ethnic communities.
Despite attempts to tarnish the reputation of the state by causing misunderstanding among communities and ethnic groups, the state government has successfully maintained communal harmony and has taken action against mischievous elements, added Gowda.
Karnataka has issued a notification for constituting the State Integration Council under the chief minister’s chairmanship. Action has also been taken to constitute District- and Taluk-Level Integration Councils to facilitate maintenance of communal harmony.
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