Mangalore: Several Hindu organisations led by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal activists conducted a vehement protest against the sole RCC (Christian) tendency of religious conversion, in a massive demonstration rally in front of the DK DCO gates this morning (Saturday, April) and sent a memorandum through the local Deputy Commissioner to the CM (who is in Kerala on election tour today, via Mangalore).
The Christian Indian Missionaries of late were enticing poor and backward Hindu children from rural areas on the coastal belt, promising certain free benefits to them, only to carry on their selfish motive of proselytisation (conversion to Christianity). There are over 40 centers on coastal Karnataka that run orphanages as a facade for such illegal religious activities. Several children are driven to such Ashramas only to be cheated by the missionaries. Such a activity deserves wholesale condemnation by govt. departments and private agencies said Satyajeet Surathkal, conductor of Hindu Jagaran Vedike (Awareness Front), in his address to the huge gathering assembled in disquiet at the DCO gates.
The state Govt. should take immediate steps to combat and restrain such heinous irreligious activities that draw innocent poor children in its dragon net for wanton purposes, Satyajeet demanded.
Gurpur Vajradehi Math chief Rajashekharananda Swamiji, addressing the gathering told that the so-called minority community’s Christian missionaries have regularly conducted such unacceptable misdeed in the name of poverty, religion and welfare, only to increase their numbers in society and not to do any good to Indian society. The state govt and district officers like DC should wake up and take immediate action suited against such conversion dramas, he added.
M.B Puranik, a VHP leader and educationist raised his voice against forcible conversions done by minorities like the Christians and Muslims against majority Hindus in India, in the name of neglect and poverty which they do not overcome themselves. They perpetrated a lot of harm to India under British and Portuguese colonial rules, he pointed out.
The British and Portuguese when they went back Europe with the end of colonial days, left some missionaries here to convert more Hindus among the poorer folks, in full freedom. In Post-Independence days, the Christians (and the Muslims) got additional facilities like minorities, when Hindus got nothing in other countries as the minorities there in Pakistan or Europe. Having secured certain Govt. benefits for themselves in education, health and religious pilgrimage matters, several missionaries are conducting their own programmes which harm Indian culture at large, Puranik explained bitterly.
Several other speakers addressed the protest rally, such as Yuva Morcha City leader Raghavendra, ABVP city secretary Vinay Jadhav, and BJP city leader Srikar Prabhu and others.
Former Dy. Mayor Rajendra Kumar, VHP leader Mohan Tulajaram and other activists were present on the occasion.