Ban religious conversions or allow ghar wapsi: VHP to govt

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) today asked the government to either ban religious conversions or allow re-conversion programmes like 'ghar wapsi'.
"We want the government to either ban religious conversions or allow us to go ahead with our re-conversion programmes.
"Hindus can no longer be silent on conversions which resulted in the dwindling of their population," VHP working committee member Praveen Togadia said addressing a function here.
He said that 'ghar wapsi' would continue as along as it was not forced and people were returning to the Hindu fold on their own will.
"Now 'ghar wapsi' is being portrayed negatively by those who have been carrying out conversions," he said.

The VHP leader demanded a strong anti-conversion law and asked Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) to back such a legislation in Parliament in the interest of Hindus.

"I challenge Sonia (Congress president Gandhi) and Mulayam Singh (SP supremo) to get a bill passed on anti- conversion in Parliament. The activists of VHP will support them," he said.
"If Sonia and Mulayam do not support a bill on anti- conversion, then we will consider that they are not in favour of Hindus," he said.
"Today the issue of religious conversion is talk of the day...Are Sonia and Mulayam not opposed to it...Country's each and every child is strongly against it (conversion)," he said.

Togadia claimed that for the past 2000 years Hindus are being converted. "If conversion had not taken place then there would have been no demolition of temple, no division of country," he added.
The VHP leader asked those who are opposed to anti-conversion law whether they are against Hindus.
He also named popular filmstars claiming that they would not have existed had conversion not taken place in the world.