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BJP calls for rules to govern conversions

Bharatiya Janata Party vice-president Krishen Lal Sharma today called for evolving norms for religious conversions which, he said, are at times being carried out through allurements and "misguidance".

Addressing a press conference in Madras, Sharma welcomed Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's call for a national debate on conversion.

The opposition parties are trying to capitalise on the social tensions between the tribals and Christians in the Dangs district in south Gujarat, he claimed.

But this "politically motivated campaign to promote vote-bank politics" will not succeed, he said.

Sharma said only 13 out of 376 villages in the Dangs were affected by the recent incidents. But there was not a single casualty following the "swift and effective action" taken by the Gujarat government to contain the violence, he added.

Sharma also accused the media of presenting a distorted version of the incidents and sensationalising them.

Sharma accused the opposition parties of suffering from a BJP phobia.

He said no one had expressed concern for what was happening in Jammu and Kashmir where "thousands of Hindus" had been uprooted from their homes and made "refugees in their own country".

Answering a question, he said there was no substance in the allegation that Hindu fundamentalism is on the rise. Hindus are the most tolerant of all, treating everyone equally, he said.

On the destruction of the pitch in the Ferozeshah Kotla stadium in Delhi by Shiv Sena members, Sharma said the government had expressed its unhappiness over the incident and asserted that full protection would be given to the visiting Pakistani cricket team.

Asked how his party continues to be associated with the Sena in Maharashtra where both are partners in government, Sharma said the situation does not warrant a breaking of ties.

UNI

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