'Ghar wapsi' part of government's agenda: Singhal

Singhal reiterated that ghar wapsi is different from conversion.

India:  The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has now claimed that ghar wapsi (reconversion) programme was one of the “developmental agendas” of the BJP-led NDA Government in the Centre.

“We will continue ghar wapsi programme because it is a developmental agenda of the Centre,” VHP leader Ashok Singhal said in Kanpur on Saturday.

He was there to attend a function of Jainism. He also claimed that the development of the country without ghar wapsi wouldn’t be possible.

He stressed that the VHP was gearing up to bring these two “agendas of development” on the forefront.

“These issues would be taken up on a priority basis,” he further said.

The VHP leader had also held a meeting at Magh Mela of Allahabad a few days ago and succeeded in mobilising a large number of seers to preach their disciples to organise ghar wapsi in their respective areas.

Some of the seers even trained their disciples to “re-convert those who were converted to Islam or Christianity in the past”.

Swami Narendranand of Kashi-Sumerupeeth told his disciples during a prayer on Friday: “Collect their details and keep a record of them. Keep meeting them frequently and convince them to return to their original religion. Remind them that their forefathers had changed their religion because of fear or greed.”

Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of Jyotishpeeth, had also declared that he would start a campaign for ghar wapsi.

“The NDA Government is shying away from this issue, we will take forward the ghar wapsi programme,” he declared.

While justifying the programme of the VHP, Singhal reiterated that ghar wapsi is different from conversion.

“We are demanding from the Centre to put a ban against religious conversion. But we don’t agree with those who equate ghar wapsi with conversion. We are here to protect the Hindus by bringing them back to their homes,” he added.

Source: dailymail