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Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati on Thursday denied suggesting to the J Jayalalithaa government that it was necessary to bring in a law banning forcible conversion in Tamil Nadu.
Talking to newsmen after addressing a rally on the Marina beach, close to the assembly, which had passed the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Forcible Conversion of Religion Bill just hours earlier, he said, "Jayalalithaa is intelligent enough not to require anyone's suggestion or advice. The law is based only on specific complaints."
He said there was no political motive behind bringing in such a law. "It is common to Hindus, Christians and Muslims."
Accompanied by Sri Shankara Vijayendra Swami, the junior pontiff of the Kanchi mutt and Hindu Munnani president Ramagopalan, among others, the Shankaracharya referred to the argument that dalits converted to other religions because they faced discrimination.
He said neither law, nor scriptures justified untouchability, and called for its eradication.
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