NEW DELHI: India’s parliament was thrown into disarray on Tuesday as opposition lawmakers protested at mass conversions to Hinduism, with the uproar threatening to disrupt Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s legislative agenda.

Angry lawmakers stormed the well of parliament’s upper house, forcing its shutdown for the day. They urged Mr Modi to make a statement on reports of poor Muslims being coerced into converting to Hinduism.

“The house will not run until the prime minister comes for discussion over the communal incidents and forced conversions issue,” Derek O’Brien, from the regional opposition All India Trinamool Congress, told reporters.

The warning threatens to disrupt the Modi government’s plans to pass a series of major economic reforms through parliament, with just four days of the current session remaining.

The right-wing government, which swept to power in May on a pledge to reform and revive the economy, wants to pass a bill to open the insurance sector to foreign investment.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2014