RSS against conversions by coercion, allurement: Leader

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, December 21

RSS Akhil Bhartiya Sah Prachar Pramukh Nand Lal today said the RSS was against religious conversions by coercion and allurement.

He said “We are against forceful conversions and conversions through allurement but if someone himself volunteers for home coming, he is welcomed. Every individual has right of choose his religion and in case Hindus who had converted to other religions want to embrace Hinduism, they are welcome,” he said.

Claiming that there was growing inclination of youth towards RSS and people are associating online, he said the number of people joining the organisation through RSS website (RSS.org) had witnessed progressive increase.

The people of the country, particularly the youth, was disillusioned with political parties and attracted towards RSS as it stood for nationalism, development and character building, he said. The people had been taken for ride in the name of development and providing basic facilities like education and health, he added.

Admitting that caste and religion-based discrimination and oppression of poor and deprived sections of the society was one of the reason for conversions, Nand Lal said the RSS would work for removing discrimination at all levels and treat every Hindu with dignity.

Meanwhile, the Himachal BJP today demanded complete ban on conversions by coercion and said all political parties should back BJP in bringing the anti-conversion Bill.

“It is surprising that the political parties are raising a storm on the issue of religious conversion and home coming but are not coming out openly in support of Anti-Conversion Bill,” party spokesman Ganesh Dutt said.

Asserting that large-scale conversions took place in various parts of country during the past 10-15 years, he said huge funds received from abroad were used to convert Hindus to Christianity with tacit approval of the Congress.

Concerned over the mass conversions, states like Orissa and Gujarat had to bring law against conversions but due pressure from the Centre, they were not allowed to implement the law strictly.

Dutt said the entire north-east had been converted, mass conversions had taken place in Rohru, Rampur, Kinnaur and Chopal in Himachal also but no political party raised the issue and today when Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government was working for balanced and uniform development of the country, the opposition parties were vitiating the atmosphere by giving it a communal tinge.