Belagavi: KPCC President D.K. Shivakumar, who had tore a copy of Anti-Religious Conversion Bill in protest against it, during  the ongoing State legislature at Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi on Tuesday, was conspicuous by his absence when the debate on the Bill took place on Thursday.

As Shivakumar skipped the all-important debate regarding the Bill, Opposition Leader Siddharamaiah was left alone to attack the Government over the Bill.

D.K. Shivakumar, who was vicious in his attack on the Government over the introduction of the Bill ever since it was proposed to introduce, was nowhere to be seen in Suvarna Soudha on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Shivakumar  abstained from Thursday’s session upon learning that the draft of the Anti-conversion Bill was prepared when Siddharamaiah headed Congress Government was in power, according to one source. However, other sources said that Shivakumar skipped due to inevitable reasons and nothing much should be read into it.