Even as the controversy over ‘ghar vapsi’ is raging, around 200 persons, mostly Christians, have been brought back to the Hindu fold during the past few days by the Viswa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Kerala.
Indications are that a large number of people would be brought back to the Hindu fold on Christmas Day, though VHP sources said that no major events had been specially planned for the day.
Sources close to the developments indicated that preparations were under way for re-converting close to 300 persons on the day at different centres, including Ernakulam and Idukki districts.
Leaders of the Kerala unit of the organisation said the re-conversion drive would go full-throttle in the coming days and there were no directions from the national leadership to put the campaign on hold.
While 80 per cent of the re-conversions were from Christianity, a few incidents of Muslims returning to the Hindu faith had also taken place. People who were converted from Ezhava, and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes communities to Christianity had been mostly returning recently. Muslims too had returned at functions held at some parts of Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode, sources said.
Dharm Prasar, the VHP organ focusing on re-conversion, is planning to bring back 250 families by the year-end. Around 80 families have already returned to Hinduism at regional events held at Thodupuzha, Mavelikara, Kollam, Kasaragod, Thrissur, and Ernakulam. The events were being planned as low-key affairs considering the likely resistance that may come up against re-conversions, sources said.
VHP Kshetriya Sanghatana secretary K.N. Venkiteswaran, when asked about the plans for mass conversion programmes on Christmas, said if people came forward to return to Hinduism on that day, the homecoming would be arranged.
The VHP leader, who claimed that the drive had received overwhelming response, said the organisation would facilitate people returning to their original faith.
The helpline run by the VHP had been receiving close to 200 calls a day seeking support to return to Hinduism, he said.
The re-conversion drive, an ongoing process, would continue in the coming days and those willing to return to “Swadharma” would be given all protection and guarded against any social discrimination, VHP leaders said. Annually, around 2,000 people had been coming back over the years. Fear factor was holding back Muslims from coming back to Hinduism, he said.
