Reconversion connects people with national mainstream: VHP

Amid a raging row over the issue of conversions and reconversions, VHP today justified its 'ghar vapsi' programme saying it connects people with the national mainstream while conversions takes them away.
VHP leaders today released a resolution passed at its two-day convention in Hyderabad which says 'ghar vapsi' campaigns are not new and have been carried out for years now.
"The 'Ghar Vapsi' campaigns are not a phenomenon of today. Hindus were converted as Muslims or Christians by force, allurement and fraud. All those people should be brought back.
"We do not make use of any allurements, coercion or fraud. We connect all such people returning through 'ghar vapsi' with their roots and ancestors," VHP general secretary Champat Rai said here today.

Justifying the campaigns, he said, they are not being carried out as a campaign but regularly for the past 700 years.
"We are of the well-considered view that conversions detaches people from the national mainstream whereas reconversions (ghar vapsi) assimilates people into the mainstream. We support a strong anti-conversion law to stop conversions in the country for ensuring speedy progress through nationalists," the VHP resolution passed in Hyderabad convension reads.

Rai, accompanied by VHP joint general secretary Surender Jain, cited various Commissions including the Wadhwa Commission in Odisha, Niyogi Committee in Madhya Pradesh and Venugopal Committee in Tamil Nadu that have stated that the tension is due to conversions.

"If we have to make India free from any tension, the 'ghar vapsi' campaigns should continue as its normal practice," he said.
The VHP leaders also cited social reformers like Swami Vidyananda, Ramananda and Deval Rishi, besides Swami Dayanand and Shradhananda in modern times who talked of 'ghar vapsi' to link people with their ancestors.