Union Home Minister Amit Shah has once again raised the issue of alleged religious conversions in Punjab, saying the BJP would bring in a law to check the practice if the party comes to power after the 2027 Assembly elections.
Addressing a “Badlav rally” in Moga on March 14, Shah claimed that religious conversions were affecting the entire state and accused the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of ignoring the issue.
“All of Punjab is facing the issue of religious conversions. I am saying this to all Hindu and Sikh brothers and sisters, you form the BJP government once, we will bring a Bill to check religious conversions,” Shah said.
Shah had also raised the issue on March 1 while speaking at an event in Navi Mumbai to mark the 350th anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur’s martyrdom in Navi Mumbai. “It has been said that religious conversions are taking place in Punjab. Guru Tegh Bahadur sacrificed himself to protect others’ religions. But if conversions are happening due to any form of allurement, then it defies the teachings of our Guru,” he had said.
According to BJP insiders, raising the issue will help the party reach out to the Sikhs while also helping to shed its anti-Sikh image. “Shah has sent out a strong message that the BJP accepts and respects Sikhism as a separate religion. It also sends out a strong Hindu-Sikh brotherhood message,” Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar told The Indian Express.
Another BJP leader claimed that Shah’s message was “beyond politics”. “By highlighting the supreme sacrifice of Guru Tegh Bahadur, Shah has touched upon an issue which should actually be raised by Sikh organisations. It has nothing to do with appealing to a vote bank,” the leader added.
Earlier mentions of the issue
Although the issue has not consistently been a central electoral theme in Punjab, it has been raised from time to time by Sikh religious authorities and political leaders.
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On March 12 last year, the officiating Jathedar of Akal Takht and Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj, described religious conversions as a serious concern.
He urged the Sikh community to respond through “dharam parchar (religious outreach)”, calling on preachers and institutions to visit villages and strengthen awareness of Sikh teachings so people remain connected with the faith.
Gargajj also condemned conversions carried out through inducements, fear, deception or claims of miracles. Earlier, during last year’s commemoration of the anniversary of Operation Blue Star at Akal Takht Sahib, he had raised similar concerns but emphasised that the response should focus on outreach and compassion.
The issue has also been raised by political leaders in the past. The SAD has historically taken a critical stance against forced religious conversions, but the party has not run a sustained political campaign for an anti-conversion law. As CM, Parkash Singh Badal had publicly taken a strong stance against forced religious conversions several times.
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Former CM Amarinder Singh, then in the Congress, had also acknowledged reports of conversions in rural areas in 2020, particularly among economically weaker sections, while stressing that freedom of religion must be respected and coercion should not be allowed.
According to the 2011 Census, Sikhs constitute about 57% of Punjab’s population while Hindus account for about 38%.
Rivals, Christian body react
Responding to Shah’s remarks, SAD spokesperson Daljeet Singh Cheema said the party had always opposed forced conversions but questioned why the BJP was linking the issue with the 2027 Assembly elections. “It is their (BJP) government at the Centre. If they want such a law, they can bring it right now for the entire country,” he added.
The ruling AAP too criticised Shah’s speech, saying it ignored key issues of the state. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said Shah did not address issues such as minimum support price (MSP) and pending Rural Development Fund dues.
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In a post on X, AAP spokesperson Neel Garg termed Shah’s remarks “much ado about nothing” and accused the BJP of focusing on political attacks rather than Punjab’s development agenda.
Albert Dua, president of the Christian United Federation of Punjab and a former member of the Punjab Minorities Commission alleged that such statements could create divisions and disturb communal harmony in the state. Maintaining that there were no instances of forced religious conversions in Punjab, Dua said people who change their faith do so voluntarily. “If anyone willingly converts to Christianity, what can anyone say about it?” he said, adding that if any case of forced conversion was found, he would be the first to protest.
Closing the lid on SAD tie-up?
Shah also ruled out speculation about a renewed alliance with the SAD saying the BJP would contest the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections on its own and would no longer remain the “chhota bhai” in the state’s politics.
The BJP and SAD were alliance partners from 1996 until September 2020, with the BJP as the junior partner. The alliance formed governments in the state in 1998, 2007 and 2012 before SAD exited the partnership in 2020 over the now-repealed farm laws.
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Badal said every party had the right to decide its own political strategy. “For us, the interests of Punjab and Punjabis are above everything else,” he added.
