The BJP government in Himachal Pradesh today opposed the proposed bill against communal violence alleging it was an attempt to appease the minorities.
Speaking at the National Integration Council meeting in here, Himachal chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal termed 'Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill, 2011', as an 'interference' in the domain of states, which is against the federal structure of the country.
He said the present laws should be effectively implemented to deal with communal violence.
Dhumal also asked the Centre to extend the industrial package for Himachal upto the year 2020 and said the industrial incentive package was sanctioned for 10 years in the year 2003 but it was curtailed by the present UPA government, thus 'badly hitting' the industrial development of the state.
Dhumal sought enhanced assistance from the Centre under border area development scheme for accelerating the developmental programmes in areas near the 201-km-long international border with Tibet and China.
He said the budget of Rs 2,000 lakh has been allocated by the Centre for these areas for 2011-12 and pleaded for more budgetary support keeping in view the tough geographical and topographical locations as all these areas were in the tribal snow-bound areas where construction cost is much higher in comparison to plains.
He also sought sanction for two additional police battalions for maintaining peace in border areas.
Dhumal urged the Centre to fully reimburse the cost of providing security to Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama and the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje. He said, at present, around 33,500 Tibetan refugees are living in the state.