UDUPI: It was in this town as early as 1969 that a Sant Sansad held by the Sangh Parivar organisations had scripted a Ghar Wapsi re-conversion programme of Hindus, according to Pejawar Mutt Vishvesha Theertha Swamiji. “The name was different but the spirit was the same,” the Swamiji told Express.
The sansad was attended by over 160 sants from all over the country.
“We wanted all those converted to Islam and Christianity to return to the Hindu fold. The sansad had also given a call to converted Hindus to approach members of Vishwa Hindu Parishad,” he recalled.
After Ghar Wapsi programmes were reported from northern states, here too, the VHP along with other Hindu outfits has begun efforts to reach out to those who have converted to Islam and Christianity.
“Many of them are fishermen, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes,” said Udupi district VHP president Suprasad Shetty. “We will organise a meeting with the Koraga community at Kodankuru in Udupi taluk in February under the leadership of Pejawar Swamiji. It is an interaction of the swamiji with the dalits. There were differences between the upper Hindu castes and dalits for various reasons. But we in the new generation want to put an end to such ideological differences and urge the seniors in the mainline Hindu community to bring all dalits on a single platform and start anew,” said Shetty.
“However, there won’t be any attempt to re-convert Muslims and Christians into Hinduism. If they (converted people) are willing to re-convert, we will give them help,” he said.
However, Muslim leaders did not agree that there is no luring of Muslims into Hinduism.
“Though conversions were made to look like they were spontaneous, the fear unleashed by Hindu fringe groups on Muslims is always there. It is evident from the fact that such large groups of Muslims have been targeted in conversion ceremonies. Even if it was a spontaneous move by Muslims, I see underlying coercion by Hindu activists,” Ataullah Jokatte, a Muslim leader told Express.
“India is a free country and the Constitution gives citizens the right to follow any faith,” Jokatte said.
Senior VHP leader Narayana Manya told Express, “We will not lure them with promises of material gratification. I must admit that there had been ideological causes due to which the downtrodden may have been wronged by a section of Hindus in the past.
“They will be one among us now. Fishermen, Konkans and even Brahmins have been converted in the past. In Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, fishermen have been admitted into the Protestant stream of Christianity.
“In Bhatkal the Konkans have been converted into Islam and are now known as Navahites and a few Brahmin families have been converted to Christianity and are identified as United Basel Mission Christians (UBMC) in Dakshina Kannada.”
“I remember the ‘Dharma Sansad’ meeting in Ujire in Dakshina Kannada in 1985 had also called recalling all those who left Hinduism for various reasons back to home. I attended the sansad as an observer,” said Sridhar Kini, a Hindu activist.
Muslim Central Committee president K S M Masood was also against conversion.
“They may give it fancy names, but since it is a conversion drive taken up by Hindu organisations, I feel they have some degree of coercion. I am basically against conversion by any faith but we must analyse why there was a surge of Buddhism in India. There are historical factors behind conversion of Hindus to Islam and Christianity,” Masood said.
Veerabhadra Chennamalla Swami of Nidumamidi Mutt of Chitradurga told Express that the seeds of re-conversion were sown by the Hindu groups as a pre-curser to the “anti-conversion Bill” in Parliament.
“We must understand that Hinduism had no regimented set of rules. One cannot bind Hindus inside the frame of Hinduism. The Supreme Court itself has ruled that Hinduism was not a religion but a way of life. But in Islam and Christianity, every member of those religions will have to follow the religious doctrines unfailingly. Hinduism does not have any such doctrines,” he said.