LUCKNOW: A week after meeting BJP president Amit Shah in Allahabad, Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, a cluster of 13 different akharas of saints, has decided to keep the issue of religious conversion on top of the agenda of ‘Dharma Sansad’ to be organised during the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad in January 2019.The Ram temple issue, which had been dominating all such congregations for decades, will take a back seat for now.
The upcoming ‘Dharma Sansad’, the highest decision-making body of Hindu saints and seers, is expected to see the participation of over 2,000 religious experts from across the globe. According to sources close to Akhara Parishad chief Mahant Narendra Giri, the Parishad has decided to discuss conversion on the biggest platform and draw a strategy to tackle the issue, emerging as a menace, especially in the Northeastern states.
Highly placed sources in the Akhara Parishad said around 400 saints from the Northeast would be invited to the Dharma Sansad to get first-hand information about the prevailing situation in the region.“Groups of sadhus will be sent to the Northeast to put a leash on the problem by interacting with the Hindus and convincing them not to be wooed by other faiths,” said a senior Akhara Parishad office-bearer, adding that local people would also be invited to be a part of the endeavour.
The Parishad feels that religious conversion is a common phenomenon in states like Assam, Nagaland and Tripura —all of which are currently under BJP rule. The issue was also discussed in detail at Ambubachi Mela at Kamakhya Temple in June this year. Saints from 13 akharas had attended the mela where it was decided to raise the matter at Dharam Sansad to find a feasible solution to the problem.