New Delhi, Oct 22 (IANS): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tuesday called the communal violence bill an attempt to woo minority votes.

"The communal violence bill is actually a communal vote bill," BJP spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.

"Before the Uttar Pradesh (2012 assembly) polls, they took up religion-based reservation, trying to send across the message that the Congress is their well wisher. This time, ahead of the assembly elections in five states, they are taking up this bill," he said.

The BJP leader called Congress and its allies a "self-styled secular syndicate".

"The bill is a result of negative political mentality. People will vote out this syndicate," he said.

The comments came after Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde gave a fresh push to the bill, pending for some years, and said work has started on the bill.

Sources say the bill is likely to be taken up in the winter session of parliament.

The draft bill sticks to the provisions in the "Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill, 2011" prepared by the Sonia Gandhi-headed National Advisory Council.