Tuesday September 20 2005
MYSORE: All India Secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishat (VHP), Mohan Joshi said on Monday that the VHP would launch a massive campaign against religious conversion across more than two lakh villages.
"Educational institutes and orphanages run by Christian organisations has become big business in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and other states," Joshi alleged.
Addressing the media here, he noted that conversions were against the sovereignty of the country, and Parliament and State Assemblies should soon effect a law to ban it.
Criticising American evangelist Benny Hinn's convention held in Bangalore recently, Joshi said that such events gained momentum after the UPA coalition took charge at the Centre.
More than 4,000 foreign Christian missionaries are involved in conversion activities across different states.
He said that according to a 2001 census, there were about 2.34 Christians in India. They had been given adequate representations as five chief ministers in Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh belonged to the community, he said, ridiculing the demand for more representation.
He came down heavily on Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh for his proposed move declaring 50 per cent reservation for Muslim students in Aligadh University.
The AP Government had also declared 5 per cent reservation for Muslims in education and services.
The UPA coalition is planning to extend such steps throughout the country, and such measures would create more caste divisions, he warned.
He urged the Centre to abolish the minority commission and effect the Common Civil Code law.
No democratic country in the world had ever given special rights to minorities, he added.
