Dwelling on issues dear to the party, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday strongly demanded legislation to ban religious conversions and expressed concern over attempts to provide reservation to those belonging to scheduled castes and tribes and convert to other religions.
"Religious conversion is definitely an issue of concern. We are firm on the demand of complete ban on such conversions," BJP president Lal Krishna Advani said, winding up the debate on the political resolution on the second day of party's national convention in Mumbai..
He said, "This is a long pending issue. It was even discussed in the presence of Pandit Nehru. Even Babu Jagjivan Ram had opposed such unfair reservation. But now the person in charge of the Congress is of a different opinion."
A party delegate from Haryana said the religious conversions have 'picked up pace after Sonia Gandhi-led Congress formed a coalition government in the country'.
"Christian missionaries are luring the backward adivasi tribes in Jharkhand. This is taking away many of our Hindu adivasi brothers, who convert with false hope of seeking benefits," a delegate from Jharkhand said, alleging an international conspiracy against Hindu religion.
A party member from Andhra Pradesh also expressed concern over that state government's recent decisions to introduce religion-based reservation in the educational institutes.
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