Statement issued by Shri L.K. Advani, Leader of the Opposition (Lok Sabha) At Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh) : April 17, 2006

I have come to the holy city of Tirupati as part of my 35-day Bharat Suraksha Yatra. My Party colleagues in Andhra Pradesh have apprised me of several issues in the state that have a bearing on the concept of 'Bharat Suraksha'. Some of these are: the politics of minorityism being practiced by the Congress-run government in the state whose announcement about 5% religion-based reservations to Muslims was rightly struck down by the AP High Court; the state government's soft line towards the menace of naxalism; large-scale suicide by farmers; and rampant corruption in the government.

My Party colleagues have also drawn my attention to another serious issue, about which I am constrained to speak today. Since the advent of the UPA government at the Centre and the Congress government in the state headed by the chief minister Shri Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy in May 2004, Andhra Pradesh has witnessed a big spurt in the activities of various evangelical organizations engaged in religious conversions in a systematic manner and with a missionary zeal.

It is bad enough that religious conversions are conducted in a systematic manner through inducements and coercive pressure. But such activities acquire an extra edge of ominousness when they are facilitated by foreign-funded organizations, ostensibly under the garb of social service for the poor and underprivileged families in society. I strongly condemn this campaign of proselytisation, which poses a grave threat to the Hindu society. It also undermines national integration and social harmony between various communities.

I have also heard that the evangelical organizations are engaged in open anti-Hindu propaganda, including in the holy city of Tirupati. It is distressing to hear that the state government has reportedly turned a blind eye to such propaganda. The AP government is also said to be toying with the idea of selling off lands belonging to various Hindu temples. In many places, the government has colluded with unscrupulous elements who have encroached upon valuable temple lands. All this is reprehensible.

The BJP recognizes and accepts India's multi-faith character. We respect the freedom of faith as a fundamental right of every citizen. I myself have great respect for Christianity and count many Christians among my good and respected friends. However, freedom of faith cannot be allowed to become a license for a sustained foreign-funded campaign for proselytisation, which has gained momentum in various states in the country in recent years. Tribals, Scheduled Castes and the poor belonging to other classes seem to be target of the proselytizers.

What is astounding is that when Hindu organizations protest against this gross abuse of the freedom of faith, they are dubbed as communal, anti-minorities and anti-secular. In states like AP, they are persecuted as if they have committed a crime. The BJP will not tolerate such perversion of secularism. We'll raise our voice strongly in favour of a national as well as state-level legislation prohibiting religious conversion through inducement or coercion. We also demand that stern action should be taken against individuals and organizations indulging in it.

Let me point out in this context that religious conversions are altogether banned in several countries in the world. In almost all Islamic countries, even voluntary change of religion by a Muslim invites severe punishment. Only recently, intense pressure from western countries was brought to bear on Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai to save the life of a Muslim Afghan national, Abdul Rehman who, when he converted to Christianity, was sentenced to death by Muslim clerics.

Such intolerance is unthinkable in India. However, tolerance on the part of Hindus should not be exploited for the purpose of mass-scale proselytisation.

Gandhiji's views on religious conversions: In this context, I would urge one and all to pay heed to what Mahatma Gandhi had said on the question of conversions. Here are a few sample quotations.

Emulate Archbishop Arulappa: I urge well-meaning Christian organizations and their leaders to come forward to allay the fears of Hindus over religious conversions. In this context, I would like to remind my Christian brethren about what Hyderabad-based Archbishop S. Arulappa, a widely respected religious personality who passed away in February last year, had once told me: "By birth I am an Indian, by culture a Hindu and by faith, I am a Christian." This spirit of tolerance, goodness and pride in India's common culture is truly worth emulating by one and all.