Chennai, Mar 24 (IANS): The Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP is extensively campaigning against conversion in the state.

The party in its manifesto released on Monday by Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and V.K. Singh, promised stringent laws against religious conversions through force or allurement.

The manifesto said, "The right to religious freedom is not the right to religious conversion. Strict anti-conversion laws will be enacted in the state to criminalise forceful religious conversion."

BJP state president L. Murugan, who is an AIADMK-BJP alliance candidate from the Dharapuram assembly constituency told IANS: "Our manifesto is clear and strict anti-conversion laws against forced conversions will be enacted.

"Former Chief Minister late J. Jayalalithaa had enacted an anti-conversion law in 2002 but had to repeal after stringent opposition came up against it."

The manifesto also said that it would implement the recommendations of the Justice Venugopal Commission against communal violence which was constituted in 1980 after the communal riots in Kanyakumari.

BJP has already included its pet subjects, including anti-religious conversion and anti-cow slaughter laws in its manifesto and is campaigning heavily on these issues.

R.T. Raghavan, the BJP Tamil Nadu spokesperson told IANS: "BJP is sticking to its ideology. We are totally against forced religious conversion and it is totally different from religious freedom. We are against cow slaughter and we have incorporated stringent action against cow slaughter in our manifesto."

With the April 6, election day nearing, BJP is trying for maximum publicity on the anti-conversion religious legislation it has proposed in the manifesto.

While Jayalalithaa had come out strongly against forced conversion and brought a legislation against it in 2002, she had to repeal it following heavy opposition.

However, the BJP's Tamil Nadu unit has already promised that the party will bring in the anti-conversion act once the alliance comes to power.