“Caste matters little for us when the person is back in Hindu dharma. But if he or she wants a particular caste, it is made accessible to them”

Amid the ongoing controversy over ‘ghar vapsi,’ the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has claimed those who re-convert to Hinduism from Islam or Christianity will be allowed to choose a caste for themselves and will not be subject to unfair treatment.

Once a person returns to the Hindu fold, the VHP “investigates” the parampara (tradition), aastha (faith) and sanskriti (culture) of his or her ancestors.

However, the person is free to choose a desirable caste, Vyankatesh Abdeo, VHP central secretary, told The Hindu on Wednesday. “Caste matters little for us when the person is back in Hindu dharma. But if he or she wants a particular caste, it is made accessible to them.”

A day after the planned ghar vapsi programme in Aligarh was shelved by a lesser known faction of the RSS, the VHP pledged to carry on with its usual programmes of reconversion across the country. “This was just an event. We won’t attach any prestige issue to it. Ghar vapsi is nothing new; we will continue to hold it,” Mr. Abdeo said.

According to the VHP, a typical case of ghar vapsi takes years to execute. “It is a slow process, not restricted to an event. We have to ensure hriday parivartan (a change of heart). Sometimes it takes up to a decade,” Mr. Abdeo said.

Though he denied allegations that the ghar vapsi programme was staged by the Hindutva camp to trigger a discussion on the anti-conversion Bill, Mr. Abdeo said the VHP and its affiliates were pleased to see the “seculars trapped” in the debate.

The Organiser, the official RSS mouthpiece, in its latest editorial, praised the incident as it brought “the debate on right track and created the possibility for universal anti-conversion law.”