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Anti-conversion drives vitiate communal atmosphere in Kerala

D Jose in Thiruvananthapuram

The communal situation in Kerala, which is almost evenly balanced between the minorities and majority communities, could come under severe stress now that the saffron brigade is stepping up its anti-conversion drive.

The Sangh Parivar has already launched a multi-pronged offensive against conversions, targeting Christians, who constitute nearly 25 per cent of the state's population.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has already pressed into action an "army of dedicated youth" to work among villagers and prevent evangelical activity. And the Hindu Eikya Vedi, consisting of both hardliners and moderates, plans to spread their views on conversion and also directly intervene to stop conversions.

Trained VHP squads have already fanned out in the tribal areas in the Idduki, Wayanad and Kannur districts and the plantation areas of the state, identified as the places where conversions are most likely.

The Hindu Eikya Vedi, dominated by the members of the Sangh Parivar, plans to use Hindu priests from Kerala and neighbouring states, women and village-level squads to tell the people of the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, Sree Narayana Guru, Swami Vivekenanda etc.

An action plan in this regard was chalked out at a state-level convention that the Hindu Eikya Vedi organised in Trivandrum on Sunday. Over 700 delegates participated.

The convention decided to convene a women's conference at the temple town of Guruvayoor on February 24 and 25 to rally women against conversions. The proposed conference will chalk out an action plan to involve women against conversions at the village level, said Hindu Eikya Vedi general convener J Sisupalan and VHP organising secretary Kummanam Rajashekharan.

Hindu priests are to undertake a dharma yatra through the backward, tribal, coastal and mountain areas to preach against conversions and centres are to be set up to teach the backward classes about the Hindu sastras and rituals.

The convention passed two resolutions -- one that sought a ban on forced conversions and the other, an inquiry into the utilisation of foreign funds. The resolution regarding foreign funds claimed most money coming from foreign countries went into the hands of Christian organisations. These funds were spent not only for forced conversions but also for illegal, anti-national and secessionist activities, it was claimed. This was often using non-governmental organisations as cover, the resolution stated.

It also severely attacked the retreats churches organise in different parts of the state, claiming these were intended to wean away Hindus. The resolution also described this as an attack on the fundamental right of Hindus to practice their religion.

It said all these activities were part of a global evangelisation plan being implemented to aid the World Council of Churches, Pope and countries like the US. These evangelisation activities were aimed at making India a Christian nation, the resolution stated.

Bharatiya Vichara Kendra director P Parmaeswaran, who inaugurated the convention, alleged a Washington-Vatican axis was at work in India and its immediate goal is to pull down the government, which is friendly to Hindutva. Congress President Sonia Gandhi was aiding the foreign cause, he said.

The US, he said, could not reconcile itself to India as a nuclear power and the Vatican was out to evangelise India. He said "Evangelisation 2000" was part of the globalisation and westernisation movements mooted earlier. Globalisation was destroying the Indian economy and westernisation had culturally enslaved Indian minds. Now evangelisation was being attempted to deprive the country of its soul too, he said.

Meanwhile, various Christian leaders in Kerala have called for an "open dialogue" between heads of different religions and political leaders instead of dragging the issue of conversion to the masses, which they feared would only increase communal passions in the country.

On Prime Minister A B Vajpayee's call for a national debate on conversion, Trivandrum Archbishop Rev Cyril Mar Baselios said the prime minister should make it clear what he had meant by "conversion" since the word was misunderstood by a large section of the people.

He said, an open discussion without any presupposition, was always welcome and useful. Conversion meant a change of heart in response to god's call irrespective of religion and caste, hence there was no need for a debate, he added. Change of culture or rites and ways of life was only secondary.

The recent attacks on minorities by fundamentalists were because of their ignorance and misunderstanding, he said.

The ecclesiastical leaders took strong exception to the time and manner of the anti-conversion campaign launched by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in Kerala.

Trivandrum Latin Diocese Rev Bishop Soosa Packiam, while endorsing the VHP's right to propagate its religion, expressed apprehensions about the way the campaign would be conducted. They should work in a peaceful way without lying to naive people by exaggerating some wrongdoings of the church, he said.

Welcoming the idea of having a debate on various aspects of conversion, he demanded that there should also be open debates about the "secular nature of the country".

The prime minister's call during his visit to Dangs in Gujarat had sent the wrong signals, Bishop Pakiam said. The church was happy with the existing laws in the Constitution and there should never be debates on changing them. The debate, however, could be on upholding the fundamental rights ensured by the Constitution, he added.

He said for a debate, the scope of the subject and terms should be made clear first.

"When we met the prime minister during his recent visit to Kerala we had made our stand clear and asked him to safeguard the secular image of the country first," the bishop said.

Additional reportage: UNI

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