Modi writes to fellow CMs, asks them to oppose Communal Violence Bill

BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Friday wrote letters to some chief ministers urging them to rise above political affiliations and oppose the Centre's proposed Communal Violence Bill, alleging it was "a blatant intrusion upon the powers" of state governments.

"It is important for all Chief Ministers to rise beyond political affiliations and come together to oppose the Bill, which is nothing but a blatant attempt by the Centre to interfere with and intrude upon the powers of elected state governments," Modi, Gujarat Chief Minister, said in the letters to the CMs.

The Bill, he said, would polarise the society and would introduce the idea of differential application of criminal law to citizens based on religious and linguistic identities.

It would also demoralise public servants and impact how the state government can deal with law and order situations in future, Modi said.

The recipients of Friday's letter include Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh), Prithviraj Chavan (Maharashtra), Okram Ibobi Singh (Manipur) and Mukul Sangma (Meghalaya) among others, officials said.

Modi's letters to the CMs came a day after he written to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue, terming the Bill as "recipe for disaster".

The UPA government plans to introduce the 'Prevention of Communal Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill, 2013' in the ongoing winter session of Parliament.

In his letter, Modi has called upon his counterparts in other states to discuss the issue and oppose the Bill.