PM Narendra Modi's silence on re-conversions will upset social equilibrium: Congress

NEW DELHI: Alleging "connivance" between the Sangh Parivar and the BJP-led government at the Centre, Congress today said the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of re-conversions will upset the social equilibrium in the country.

The spokesperson of the Delhi Catholic Archdiocese said people behind such programmes, including ' ghar wapsi' were trying to break up the unity of the country.

Senior Congress leader P C Chacko said 'ghar wapsi' is the pet slogan of the RSS and the Modi government. He said the Prime Minister's 'maun vrat' or his decision against coming out in open to disown such activities will "upset the social equilibrium" of the country.

He said the government has so far remained a mute witness to reconversion programmes in various parts of the country and it showed "connivance" between the government and the RSS.

Chacko said the country will have to pay a "heavy price" for such acts.

Father Domnic Emmanuel, spokesperson of the Delhi Catholic Archdiocese, said like Agra, people were misled into changing their religion in the name of facilities such as BPL cards.

He said such people were trying to break up the unity of the country which has thrived for the past thousands of years.

At least 128 people from 23 Christian families were 're-converted' to Sikhism at a ceremony organised by an offshoot of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in a Gurudwara near Amritsar yesterday.

The Dharam Jagran Manch of RSS in a statement claimed that the 128 people had approached the leaders of the Dharam Jagran Cell expressing strong desire to return into the folds of Sikhism.

The Christians were re-converted after a ritual that included chanting of Japji Sahib, a Sikh hymn and given amulets bearing pictures of Sikh religious leaders and holy booklets.