New Delhi: The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) on October 10 described as "mischievous" the Tamil Nadu Ordinance prohibiting forced religious conversions and accused the state government of trying to appease the Sangh Parivar.

"It is shocking that the Tamil Nadu government is a victim of the misleading propaganda of Sangh Parivar as regards religious conversions or is attempting to appease the Parivar," IUML president G M Banatwalla said in a statement in New Delhi.

He alleged that in the garb of prohibiting forced religious conversions, the Ordinance was a serious assault on the right to profess, practice and propagate one's religion guaranteed by the Constitution.

"The Ordinance is mischievous as it so defines the words force and allurement that it destroys the right to propagate religion," he said adding that a Bill seeking to repeal similar Acts is pending in Lok Sabha as the use of force or fraud is dealt with by existing provisions in the Indian Penal Code.

PTI