VHP to intensify gharwapsi campaign. It says Hindus are in danger

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has decided to intensify its gharwapsi campaign, alleging that there has been a rise in forcible conversions across India. It wants to convert non-Hindus to Hinduism as they believe they were originally Hindus.

The VHP at its recently concluded three day international conference in Odisha, adopted a resolution condemning “rampant conversion of Hindus under compulsion, deception and intimidation” across the country, particularly in Odisha.

The resolution said that “not only Hindus are being converted under compulsion, enticed deceived and intimidated, also their land has been subjugated for years to create an atmosphere of retribution chaos and terror”.   

The right wing Hindu organisation claims that Christian missionaries and Muslim organisations were pumping money and adopting various means to lure or compel Hindus to convert.

VHP joint secretary general Surendra Kumar Jain claimed forcible conversion will soon lead to tribals losing their cultural identity.

“Christian missionaries are pumping in money across the country with the sole aim of conversion. Such is the extent of conversion that tribals are on the verge of losing their ethnic and cultural identity,” said Jain.

VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal said ghar wapsi was the only way to prevent any “imbalance” in India’s demographic profile.   

 “Population jihad and ‘love jihad’ are two major issues faced by the country. Today Jihadi elements have spread their tentacles across the country and unless tackled immediately Hindu existence itself will be in jeopardy.

“As per Pew Research, the Muslim population is expanding at a faster rate than the Hindu population and by 2050, India will be home to largest Muslim population in the world.

“But going by the way Hindus are being converted across the country, that will happen much sooner than 2050,” alleged Bansal.

While the gharwapsi campaign will be intensified across the country, major focus will be on non-BJP ruled states like West Bengal, Kerala and Odisha.

“Jihadis are on the rise in states like Bengal and Kerala, thanks to the politics pursued by the ruling parties. Hindus in Bengal are now facing persecution much like they face in Pakistan or Bangladesh. In Kerala, love jihad is so rampant that even the court has to take cognisance,” said Bansal.  

Under the campaign VHP activists will identify regions where Hindus have been forcibly converted and then arrange for their reconversion.  

“The campaign entails educating Hindus about the perils of love jihad. How innocent girls are being preyed upon and turned into sex slaves for the jihadis. Educating them about the various means adopted by them including lure of job and education, to convert them,” said Bansal.

 The VHP has also demanded the Odisha government to make public the findings of the Naidu Commission that probed the 2008 communal riot in Odisha's Kandhamal district.

The Justice A S Naidu headed panel was set up after the ethno-communal riots broke out following the murder of VHP leader Swami Laxmananda Saraswati and four of his associates at his Ashram in August 2008.

Alleging Christian missionaries were behind the murder with tacit support from the state government, the VHP demanded the commission report be made public.

 “Behind this merciless killing, the hands of the state government cannot be ignored. People behind this wicked syndicate who are trying for ethnic cleansing of Hindus to make India a Hindu-free nation should be put behind bars and justice should prevail for the tribal communities,” VHP said in the resolution.