RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat at a religious event in Haridwar. (PTI Photo) RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat at a religious event in Haridwar. (PTI Photo)

Justifying the ‘ghar wapsi (reconversion)’ campaign of Sangh affiliates, RSS sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat said Saturday that those opposed to religious conversion should agree to bring in a law against the practice. Without naming Islam or Christianity, he said “we will bring back our brothers who have lost their way” and “belongings stolen by a thief”. He also called India a “Hindu Rashtra”.

Addressing a Virat Hindu Sammelan in Kolkata to mark the golden jubilee of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bhagwat said: “Hindus do not believe in conversion. If anyone fears that Hindus are resorting to conversion, let there be a legislation in Parliament to stop this practice. Hindus do not want to change anybody. If you do not want anybody to convert, then do not convert Hindus too.”

Referring to ‘ghar wapsi’, he said: “Bhule bhatke jo bhai gaye hain, unko wapas layenge. Woh log apne aap nahin gaye, unko loot kar, lalach de kar le kar gaye… Abhi chor pakda gaya hai. Mera maal chor ke paas hai. Aur yeh duniya jaanti hai. Mein apna maal wapas loonga, yeh kaunsi badi baat hai (We will bring back our brothers who have lost their way. They did not go on their own. They were robbed, tempted into leaving… Now the thief has been caught and the world knows my belongings are with the thief. I will retrieve my belongings, so why is this such a big issue).”

Bhagwat told the gathering the world was “helpless… suffering because of crimes perpetrated from Pakistani soil and by Bangladeshi infiltrators”. Only the Hindus, he said, could put a stop to these “atrocities”.

“We should not be scared. Why should we be afraid? We are not infiltrators. We are not foreigners. This is our motherland. This is our country. This is a Hindu Rashtra. We will not run away from our country. We will stay here and we will regain what was lost and stolen from us. We have to stay awake and stay active. The Hindu society is waking up,” he said.

“Partition in 1947 led to the breaking up of Bharat and creation of Pakistan. But do not think it is permanent. In Pakistan, there is much misery and suffering now. There is some amount of peace and prosperity in Bharat. That is because the Hindus are here and they will emerge stronger to bring welfare to the whole world. If Hindus are not there, every community in the world will suffer,” Bhagwat said, adding “you will witness the change as Hindus rise”.

Earlier, Pravin Togadia of the VHP mounted an attack on “Muslim infiltrators” and said “Hindus should practice Hinduism to survive the Islamic onslaught”.

“Not one Hindu should be allowed to be converted. My appeal to leaders like Mulayamji (SP’s Mulayam Singh Yadav) is that if they do not support conversion, why not push for a legislation. My question to him is: are you opposing conversion or are you opposing Hindus for political convenience,” he said.

“All political parties should remember that if the Hindus oppose, no political party will be able to rule India. Will Congress be able to do it? Will the Trinamool Congress be able to do it? Will the CPM be able to do it?… You survive only when you come under the Hindu flag,” Togadia said.

He also announced the launch of a Hindu helpline and listed phone numbers, email IDs and a website for “Hindus in distress”.

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