Private member bills are an effective tool in the parliamentary process, which is usually used by opposition members to draw the attention of the government on important issues or to corner the government.
In an interesting move, BJP MLAs have introduced 10 private bills, which include subjects like love jihad, prevention of forced conversions, and ban on certain types of hoardings. This move can stir controversy, as these MLAs could directly demand the government to introduce these bills.
The BJP MLAs who have introduced these bills include former ministers Sudhir Mungantiwar, Atul Bhatkhalkar, and Mahesh Landge. Mungantiwar, who was dropped from the Cabinet after the assembly elections last year, has alone introduced 8 bills, one of which is based on religious freedom.
He has also introduced a bill to ban hoardings depicting violence and obscenity in public places and to give the BMC commissioner powers to deal with the problem of stray and rabid dogs.
For obscene and violent hoardings that affect the mental health of children and adolescents, Mungantiwar has proposed a punishment of up to two years and a fine of up to ₹2,000.
He says the presence of stray and rabid dogs has become a big problem for senior citizens, school-going children, and office-goers, making it difficult to walk on the roads. Under the current rules, the BMC commissioner’s hands are tied as there is a stay order of the court on it. Mungantiwar has suggested that the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act of 1888 be amended to give the commissioner powers to deal with this problem.
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Apart from this, he has also proposed to install radium straps on the rear of trucks and heavy vehicles.
At the same time, MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar has introduced a bill to prevent forced conversion under love jihad. He has suggested a punishment of up to three years and a fine of up to ₹ 50,000 for this crime.
Both Mungantiwar and Bhatkhalkar have introduced a bill, which provides for a punishment of one year and a fine of up to ₹ 10,000 against people who drink alcohol in public places and roam around in an intoxicated state. The bill states that these people drink alcohol in the open and near religious places, which poses a threat to law and order and creates an atmosphere of fear among women.
