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Need to debate anti-homosexual law: Health minister

Ghulam Nabi Azad said there is a need for a 'parliamentary debate' and a 'broad consensus' on the issue.

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Amid a raging debate on amending or repealing section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalises homosexuality, the Union health minister today said there was a need for a "parliamentary debate" and "broad consensus" on the issue.

"I can simply say that there should be more debate — public debate, Parliament debate," Ghulam Nabi Azad said at a press conference here. "There has to be consensus. The negative and positive has to be evaluated and then a conclusion should be evolved (sic)."

Asserting that there could not be a better forum than Parliament to debate the issue, he said, "...there should be a total consensus. Not only government, but other political parties should also be in line with it [the proposed amendment in law]".

"If you are going to be bringing in a legislation of this nature, there has to be a broad consensus," he asserted.

Elaborating, Azad said that while certain issues were related to the country's culture, others pertained to diseases associated with homosexuality. "There should be a general debate where our heritage as well as diseases are considered," he said.

People should become apprised of all the negatives and positives of the matter before forming their opinion, he remarked.

Earlier, Union law minister M Veerappa Moily said in Hyderabad that the government will not take a decision in a hurry to repeal the controversial section 377. Some Christian and Muslim religious groups have voiced their opposition to such a step.

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