Muslim population no issue, conversion is, says home minister Rajnath Singh - The Times of India
Aman Sharma,ET Bureau | Mar 24, 2015, 01.35 PM IST
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NEW DELHI: Home minister Rajnath Singh, in comments that would run counter to the line often used by hardline Hindutva elements, said on Monday he had no issues with the pace of growth of the Muslim population in the country, but railed against religious conversions and exhorted minorities to take the lead in pressing for an anti-conversion law.
"It does not matter how many Muslims are there. If their population is increasing, let it increase. We have no issues. But the cycle of conversions must stop," Singh told a conference of state minority commissions in Delhi.
The comments come at a time some hardliners in the Sangh Parivar have expressed their annoyance at what they allege is the fast pace of growth in the country's Muslim population and have exhorted Hindus to procreate more to counter this. India's Muslim population probably rose to 14.2% in 2011 from 13.4% in 2001, the government yet-to-be-released census data is expected to show.
While Singh appeared conciliatory to Muslims, he struck a hard line against religious conversions — a topic that has of late been sought to be linked with the Christian community.
Members of the Sangh Parivar have in recent weeks sought to link service done by Christian institutions with religious conversions.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat last month stirred up a controversy when, referring to conversions, he said there was a "motive" behind the service rendered by Mother Teresa. Singh appeared to echo similar sentiments.
'Respect others'
"Why do we do conversions? If we want to do service, let us do service. But should service be done for the purpose of religious conversion? Cannot we decide that we will go worldwide to do service but conversion will not be our target but only to serve humanity?" he asked.
"Can't we live without respecting each other's faith. What is the necessity of conversion. Can't a religion survive without involving in conversion?... People say conversions are done by people on their own accord...that there is freedom for conversions. Do not do this (conversions). Leave it," he added.
The home minister said he was posing three basic questions.
"First, is conversion necessary? Second, can a religion not survive without conversions? Thirdly, if anybody tries to change the demographic character of any country, will anyone tolerate it? In US or Europe, if I go and try to change their demographic character, isn't it a crime on my part? Why should I do this? Let that country's identity remain. That country has a culture, let it be. Why do we want to change it?" he said.
Singh also blamed the Congress government for creating an "atmosphere of insecurity" among minorities and said the Narendra Modi government was reversing this. He termed the controversy around 'Ghar Vapasi', or reconversion of minorities back into the Hindu faith, as "misunderstandings and rumours" and said a solution needed to be found.
The home minister lamented that the majority community had to ask for an anti-conversion law and not minorities.
"In other countries, minorities demand that anti-conversion law should be made. India is the only country where it is not so. In our country, the state of affairs is such that we have to say and demand that there should be a debate over anti-conversion law.
Why is there such a state of affairs? It will be good if you think over this and debate it," he said.
Mixed response
The home minister's comments elicited a mixed response. Naseem Ahmed, chairperson of the National Minorities Commission said Singh's statements were reassuring given the "distressing" comments made against minorities lately.
"Home minister is categorical to say that it is not part of the government agenda. However, not just statements but ground action is also important. I will not blame the government after recent statements of the PM and the HM," Ahmed said.
But others in the audience were not impressed. Sister Mariolla,who had come from Rajasthan to attend the meeting, said "it was strange" there was no mention of church attacks. "There should have been a mention and why it is not stopping," she said.
UP state Minorities' Commission member Sohail Jindyani said he supported a statement issued on Sunday by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) that said Muslims were feeling increasingly insecure in the Modi government.
"This is no way that the prime minister and home minister keep mum while some of their MPs keep on spewing venom on the Muslims," Jindyani said. But Singh said he disagreed with AIMPLB's characterisation.
"There could have been a little sense of insecurity among minorities in the Congress rule, but Modi government is creating a sense of security," Singh said, adding that the government wanted to end the sense of insecurity among minorities.
"Someone can question the way our government works, but nobody can question my intention. India is the only country in the world where people of all religions in the world live peacefully. India has such a character and in such a country, we keep on fighting with each other. We are thirsting for each other's blood - there cannot be anything more unfortunate than that," he said.