Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday said those who left the Hindu fold due to allurement by others should be brought back. “They went away (to other religion) because of some allurement and thus there is nothing wrong in bringing them back to original fold,” he said.
Speaking a rally organised by the VHP in Kolkata, he said: “If conversion is wrong, then why not pass a law in the Parliament against it stopping all religious conversions.”
Mr. Bhagwat insisted that those who were converted earlier could be allowed to go back to their traditional faith, but did not use the term ghar vapsi or homecoming, popularised by the campaign of Sangh Parivar-affiliated bodies.
About 12,000 VHP supporters and cadres assembled in Shahid Minar grounds on Saturday afternoon. While it was a small gathering compared to Trinamool or Left standards, it was the largest as far as VHP is concerned in the State. Many of the supporters came from far flung areas of the district.
Realising a large number of people had come from the border districts of Bengal, the senior VHP leader Praveen Togadia said political parties should come together to create “an infiltration free Bengal.”
“Those Bangladeshi infiltrators who are entering Bengal are coming as invaders and any how such infiltration should be stopped,” said Mr Togadia. Surprising many of his supporters, he however did not connect the alleged infiltration to recent blast in Bardhaman, which is linked to the proscribed militant groups in Bangladesh. Neither he nor Mr Bhagwat alluded to ruling Trinamool Congress providing shelter to members of such banned outfits. However Mr Togadia did ask his supporters to stop cow slaughter which is a legitimate trade in Bengal.
“Take oath that we will not let one cow to be slaughtered,” he said to supporters, many of whom came from so called 'cow belt of Bengal' – the two 24 Paraganas.
