Religious conversion is a silent invasion and the menace should not be allowed to grow in society, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said today.
"Hindus were often invaded leading to large-scale religious conversions from time to time. If you see people from other religions around us, they were originally Hindus. Besides the geographical invasion, there is a religious invasion happening in the country. If geographical invasion happens openly, religious invasion happens slowly," Mr Bommai said at an event by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
Seers of various maths under the banner of VHP and Bajrang Dal organised the event urging the Chief Minister to bring the anti-conversion Bill he had been talking about.
According to the VHP sources, the event was organised as a few missionary organisations are opposing the Bill saying that it is against the Constitution.
The Chief Minister said the anti-conversion Bill will be introduced as conversion is a threat to society.
According to Mr Bommai, the attempt to change the cultural background through allurement is unethical and unjust, which is the root of the problem.
Religious conversion is not about increasing the strength but changing the mindset. It will have a huge impact on society, and hence should not be allowed to grow, the Chief Minister said.
"Initially it is coercion and allurement. Then it becomes a disease and later a menace. Our society, state and the nation should not allow this to happen," the Chief Minister said at the event.
Stating that poverty and disabilities are often misused to lure people to change their faith, Basavaraj Bommai said there is a need to bring a law because there is no scope for coercion and allurement in the Indian Constitution.
In this regard, a law is needed to stop such practice, he said.
The Chief Minister called upon the seers to start a social movement against conversion, identifying and addressing the root cause of the problem as Adiguru Shankaracharya did.
"The government will do its job but the seers here have to think about a mega social movement. I have faith in the seers gathered here. We have to work together to save our religion. We will follow whatever decision you take," Mr Bommai told the gathering.
He claimed that the Congress government in Karnataka had thought of bringing a law banning religious conversion in 2016 but due to vested political interests, they could not do so.
