Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray announced his support for the Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Bill 2026 here on Monday, which has been introduced in the Legislative Assembly and is scheduled to be introduced in the Legislative Council on Tuesday.
“I have read the draft of that Bill. Religious freedom should be for everyone, and nobody should convert anybody by using force or by taking advantage of someone’s helplessness, or by luring them with bait. If this happens, then we are against it. Therefore, we support the Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Bill. If someone is converting by intimidating, threatening, or saying that they will pay money after that, we are against it. However, some questions need to be answered. It has been mentioned in this bill that there has been an increase in such conversions in the last few years. Now, in the last few years, it is the BJP which has been in power both at the state as well as the centre. So despite this, if there has been an increase in conversions by force or deception, then whose failure is it?” Uddhav Thackeray said.
“The second question is in what way were conversions done? If we get the answer, then our workers are ready to go there. If anyone is being converted in such a way, we will definitely oppose it. We support this bill,” Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said, despite being part of the Congress-led opposition alliance called Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
Significantly, the Bill is being discussed when a US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) report issued recently criticised state governments of Maharashtra, Assam, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan for enacting stringent anti-conversion laws.
“In July, Maharashtra state announced plans to introduce in December a tougher law to prevent religious conversions. Similarly, Chhattisgarh state announced in October that a proposed new anti-conversion law would target faith healing meetings. The same month, Assam state announced it would introduce legislation to curb so-called “love jihad,” a derogatory term for conversions occurring in the context of interfaith marriages,” USCIRF report stated.
The USCIRF also recommended targeted sanctions on entities such as the BJP’s ideological progenitor, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as well as India’s external intelligence agency Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW) for violating religious freedom in India.
In its recent report, the USCIRF said that the organisations should be sanctioned for “their responsibility and tolerance of severe violations of religious freedom” by freezing those individuals’ or entities’ assets and/or banning their entry into the US.
Earlier on Monday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis defended the Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Bill, 2026, asserting that it is designed to curb fraudulent religious conversions, especially those linked to coercion, inducement and marriage, and does not single out or target any particular minority community.
Fadnavis said that the Bill was prompted by instances where women were allegedly lured into relationships, married and subsequently abandoned, creating personal and legal complications for them and their children. He said the bill seeks to close loopholes exploited in such cases and protect vulnerable individuals, rather than target any genuine religious choice.
“We have seen several cases where women are lured, they elope and later are left alone. This raises serious questions about their future and that of their children. The bill is intended to address these problems. The legislation does not discriminate against any community. Critics and opposition parties must read the Bill’s provisions carefully. The Opposition is trying to politicise the issue for vote bank reasons. I can guarantee you that, once they study the bill, they will have no objections,” Fadnavis said.
However, Samajwadi Party MLA from Bhiwandi Est Rais Shaikh has opposed the Bill and demanded that it must be sent to a joint select committee of the state legislature for review and that a public hearing should be conducted so that objections can be raised against the Bill, which infringes on fundamental rights.
Speaking about the Bill, Shaikh said when common people are unable to get gas, hotels are shutting down and many people have lost their jobs, the government is busy piloting this Bill. “Instead of discussing these issues, the legislature is debating the Freedom of Religion Bill, which will only divide society. Existing laws already address forced religious conversions, and this Bill has been introduced only to target minority communities. The Bill should not be passed without discussion and requires detailed debate. Therefore, this bill should be referred to a joint select committee of the state legislature with members from both Houses. Representatives from minority communities should be included in the committee, as thorough discussion is necessary before passing the Bill,” Shaikh said.
Stating that representation of minority communities in the legislature is inadequate, Shaikh said that civil society groups and minority organisations should be allowed to present their views on the Bill. “For that purpose, a public hearing must be held. The government should issue a public notice inviting objections and suggestions and conduct hearings on them,” Shaikh said, adding that he will write to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly regarding this.
So far, 35 civil and minority organisations in the state have opposed the Bill. Social activist Teesta Setalvad criticised it, saying it undermines privacy, freedom of religion, and fundamental rights, while the People’s Union for Civil Liberties stated that the right to religious freedom includes the right to conversion.