Bharatiya Janata Party  (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) Dinesh Kashyap has sparked controversy by saying that people who convert their religion should be disqualified from availing benefits of government facilities.

Addressing a rally at Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh, Kashyap said "Conversion is a big problem. Those Adivasis, who have converted their religion, shouldn't be allowed to avail benefits of different government facilities."

After a while, Kashyap clarified his statement and added "This is my own thinking. Those who convert their religion should be barred from government facilities. I think this should be followed. The number of such cases will decrease once this rule will be brought into action."

The statement comes a week after 16 preachers were arrested in Jharkhand on allegations of trying to convert the locals into Christianity. The 16 accused have been booked under the Freedom of Religion Act, which came into force in 2017.

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