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Warning note against conversions at MP govt meet for tribals Milind Ghatwai, Mandla 11 February 2011 Indian Express

Though it is meant to dissolve caste boundaries, the three-day congregation of tribals organised by the BJP government on the banks of Narmada began on a warning note for missionaries on Thursday with some sants asking the crowds to ensure that they were made to leave the country. Senior leaders of the RSS, which has fully backed the event called “Ma Narmada Samajik Kumbh”, were cautious but the religious leaders vent their anger on foreigners who, they said, took to conversion in the guise of offering ‘seva’.

The majority community was asked to pool in money and food to ensure that no Hindu was left hungry, and hence vulnerable to conversion. The minority community had expressed fear that its members would be targeted, especially after the event is over, because the hate campaign unleashed ahead of it would start taking root later. VHP international general secretary Pravin Togadia called for a new law to deny Scheduled Tribes the benefit of reservation if they changed their faith. He said this would automatically stop conversions to Christianity.

The largest applause was reserved for Togadia when he said Ram Temple would be built over 67-acre land in Ayodhya and no shrine in the name of Babar would be allowed to come up. Ha Ham Hindu Hain (yes, we are Hindus), a Hindi translation of a Marathi book, was released on the occasion by leaders that included RSS leaders Mohan Bhagwat and Suresh Soni, MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and a host of sants. Bhagwat began by saying sufficient advice had been given by leaders who spoke before him (on how to tackle conversion) but did not elaborate.
 

Swami Hariharanandji Maharaj said some insects (keet-patange) had entered India 2,000 years ago and in the name of offering services took to conversion. “Take a vow that non-Hindus are made to flee India,” he said. The main pandal is named after Swami Laxmananda, the VHP leader who was shot dead in 2008 in Orissa. Later, a gathering of sants was held at the same venue when speakers spewed venom against Christians. One sant did not even spare rape victims and questioned their character, forgetting that the session was open to public.
 

Controversial ’Kumbh’ focusing on conversion begins in Madhya Pradesh  Indo-Asian News Service, Bhopal, February 10, 2011

A different kind of Mahakumbh began in Mandla in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday. Unlike the rituals of bathing, devotional singing, and mass feeding of holy men and the poor held on the banks of the river at Mahakumbhs, this kumbh, initiated by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, is focussing on conversion.

This kumbh is more on the lines of the Shabri Kumbh held in 2006 in Gujarat in which a public awareness drive was launched against religious conversion and Christian missionaries. Lakhs of people, comprising a good number of tribals, are participating in the Mahakumbh at Mandla, over 400 km away, where it is being held for the first time.
 

Since the past fortnight, Mandla has been witnessing distribution of pamphlets against religious conversion. The pamphlets state that if the Hindu community awakens then no one can get religious conversion done in the name of social service. Religious conversion would end only when the Hindu community gets united and powerful. It also talks of the "coming home" of those who have been converted. Some of the pamphlets distributed in Mandla also contain abusive language for certain sections of the society that has led to a controversy.
 

The chief minister said that such functions would be organized every year. Speaking after him, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said: "Whatever we are doing here is pious work and it is not only for our benefit but for the whole world." "The one who loves all is called Hindi, the one who serves the motherland is our brother, and is Hindu. We do not fight with them, we have no enmity with them," he added. Along with Chouhan and Bhagwat, several other BJP, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and RSS leaders are expected to participate in the event, including Gujarat and Chhattisgarh chief ministers Narendra Modi and Raman Singh, K.S. Sudarsan and Pravin Togadia, among them.
 

First one to object to the Mahakumbh was All India Congress Committee general secretary Digvijay Singh, who termed the kumbh a ’fake’ one. He said: "It is a disinformation campaign against Christians." He also alleged that the Madhya Pradesh government is spending over Rs 200 crore on the kumbh. Madhya Pradesh Congress president Suresh Pachouri has written a letter to union Home Minister P. Chidambaram and state Governor Rameshwar Thakur to draw their attention to the event and raised the issue of religious conversions and the distribution of pamphlets and literature depicting Christians in poor light prior to the Kumbh.
 

"The mass religious conversion during the three-day event would be against the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act," Pachouri told IANS. Both the leaders have urged the central government to intervene in the matter. The Christian community is apprehensive that the situation in Mandla should not turn out like Kandhamal in Orissa that witnessed largescale communal riots in 2008. They have apprised Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan about the situation and demanded security for Christians and also sought the high court order the state government in this regard. Father Anand Muttungal, spokesperson of the Catholic Church in the state, told IANS about the congregation, "Many Christians had been forced to fill up forms declaring that they intended to accept Hinduism, a move that has created fear among Mandla’s Christian community."
 

RSS ‘Kumbh’ Petrified Christians fear Kandhamal-like situation  Friday, 11 February 2011

Bhopal, February 11 (Pervez Bari): The spectre of fear and depredation is haunting minorities, especially the Christian community, in tribal-dominated Mandla district of Bharatiya Janata Party, (BJP), ruled Madhya Pradesh as all is geared up for the three-day huge congregation of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, (RSS), “Kumbh” festival wherein over 20 lakh (two million) people are expected to assemble. Although Christians are not opposing the mega event but media reports that the festival aims to “return” tribal Christians to Hinduism have created fear among the community.

The congregation christened as “Maa Narmada Saamaajik Kumbh” (Social Fair of Mother Narmada river) is being organized by the Dharm Jagaran Vibhag (Religious Revival Department) of the RSS from February 10 to 12 ostensibly to hold a social gathering but the “main aim” is mass reconversion programme called “Ghar Wapsi” (Home Coming) for tribal Christians as the community heads fear. As such the Christian community not just of the Mandla district but of the entire region encompassing Madhya Pradesh and neighbouring state of Chhattisgarh, have solid reasons to fear an outbreak of violence against them during or after the event from cadres of the Sangh Parivar.

Besides MP, tribals from Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and Rajasthan are expected to attend the “Kumbh”. Swami Aseemanand, who is now in jail on the charge of being behind several terror attacks in the country, was the chief organizer of the Shabri Kumbh. It is alleged that rudimentary plans for the subsequent bomb blasts at Malegaon, Mecca masjid, Ajmer Shareef and Samjhauta Express were drawn up at Shabri Kumbh. Then, besides hate speeches before, during and after the event, the “Shabri Kumbh”  also led to the beating of Christians, with many abandoning the area, and much loss of Christian property, including graveyards. Christian graves were dug up then and crosses were desecrated.

It may be pointed out here that a Compact Disc, (CD), produced by the Shabri Kumbh Samaroh Aayojan Samiti (Organizing Committee) entitled "Shri Shabri Kumbh 2006: Spirituality along with the Wave of Patriotism," was banned by the Supreme Court of India because the CD incites "Hindus against the Christian community and suggests that Christians be attacked and beheaded." The organizers of the “Kumbh” admit, though privately, that the main objective behind the grand show is to create an atmosphere in which the Church finds it increasingly difficult to convert tribals into Christianity. They indicate that the Kumbh may also be used to encourage the tribals who have already embraced Christianity to come back to the Hindu fold.

The palpable fear among the Christians is not unfounded as run up to the gigantic event a hate-mongering campaign in the area is going on since last more than a month or so. The campaign is underway with the distribution of objectionable literature targeting Christians and also Muslims mocking their faith and religious leaders. Media reports emanating from the region say that provocative slogans are being raised by the cadres of RSS and its various affiliates while roaming the tribal Christian localities and brow-beating them to fill up forms for the “Ghar Wapsi” function to be held during the congregation. Reports emanating from Mandla say that every day, small rallies, called “Kalash Yatras” are being taken out in which anti-Christian slogans are raised. The slogans warn the Christians of “counter-action, if they do not stop their nefarious activities”. Local Christian leaders fear that they may be physically assaulted and have sought police protection.

The statements and sayings yesteryears Indian leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar have been invoked by the RSS to convey its warning message to the Church. Huge bill boards and hoardings carrying their quotations have come up around the “Kumbh” venue. A hoarding, ostensibly quoting what the Mahatma Gandhi said in 1935, reads “If I get the power to enact a law, the first law I will enact will put a blanket ban on Conversions”. Similar quotations from Vivekananda and Ambedkar welcome the guests at the main entrance of the Kumbh venue. Visitors are being reminded that Rani Durgawati had also resisted attempt to convert her. The religious leaders of the scared Christian community are moving from pillar to post to make the administration and the law enforcing agencies from top to bottom understand their plight and worst fears and take precautionary measures before it is too late. The pleadings of the Christians have had little effect as not much concern was shown to the seriousness of the matter by those holding the reins of power.

The Christians while keeping pressure on the state government officials later on knocked the doors of the state High Court through a petition by Fr. Anand Muttungal demanding directions to the BJP Government to provide enough security to them to save their life and property which is at stake in view of the vitiated atmosphere created by the saffron forces. The High Court is reported to have ordered the State Government to heed to the Christians deep concern and take necessary precautionary steps to stall any untoward incident that may take place during the “Kumbh” festival or afterwards which may endanger the life and property of the minorities. Pamphlets being distributed in Mandla, among other things, describe missionaries as “Wolf in a lamb’s clothing”. Another pamphlet purports to expose the “real face of Mother Teresa”. Yet another pamphlet claims that Portuguese explorer Vasco De Gama, who landed in Calicut in 1498 “persecuted Hindus and killed a Brahmin”. In contrast, the pamphlet claims, when Syrian Christians came to India in 321 AD, they were allowed to live here by the Hindu rulers and were even permitted to construct their places of worship”.

Meanwhile, the main opposition Congress party is maintaining an absolute silence on this issue. It is only criticizing the alleged corruption and irregularities in the preparations being made for the Kumbh. It says that public funds should not be spent on a religious-cum-political function. However, the party is making no comments on the real intentions of the organizers of the show.   But, a block level Congress leader of Bhopal Naveen Chaube submitted a memorandum to the state Governor bringing to his notice a magazine titled “Pathey” brought out by the organizers of the “Kumbh” spewing venom and trying to vitiate the communal harmony between Hindus and Muslims in the state. The booklet contains cartoons depicting Indian Prime Minister with closed eyes holding a hand of a terrorist with a dagger, calling a Hindu Sadhu (saint) a terrorist, “Love Jehad”, increase in Muslim population with slogan of “Hum Panch Hamare Pachchis” etc. Chaube demanded that the registration of the magazine be cancelled forthwith and action taken against its publisher and printer under the National Security Act, (NSA), while registering cases against all the office-bearers of the committee.

Meanwhile, Congress general secretary and former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Digvijay Singh has alleged that the RSS and the BJP were ruining established Sanatan Dharam (Hindu religion) traditions. Singh in a statement said that in India four kumbhs have been held since the Sanatan period and all followers of the religion have faithfully associated with Haridwar, Prayag, Ujjain and Nasik. However, the BJP Governments of various States in association with the RSS are organizing “kumbhs” festivals at places other than the traditional venues. The Chhattisgarh Government, led by Raman Singh, is busy in organizing Rajim “Kumbh” He claimed that such changes are not only ruining Sanatani traditions, but also amount to cheating people by playing with their sentiments. The Congress leader said that he welcomes Jagadguru Shankaracharya’s statement, alleging the BJP Government in Madhya Pradesh of ruining the established Sanatani traditions.