Chennai: National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Chairman Dr Bizay Sonkar Shastri on May 19 said there was no need for a special Law against conversions as far as the SCs and STs were concerned, as the Constitution provided safeguards against these sections being forced to convert.

"In Article 14 of the Constitution there is a provision pertaining to conversions and forced conversions. While the right to convert is a fundamental right, it was also against conversions being forced on anyone," he told reporters.

Unfortunately, the Article was being enforced only in respect of property ownership rights, he said, and added that he would suggest to MPs to ensure that Constitutional provisions in respect of all fundamental rights of SCs and STs were implemented.

Charging Opposition parties with criticising government programmes only for political reasons, Shastri asked them to shed political differences, adopt a positive approach and stand as one when it came to development of SCs and STs.

PTI