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Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani on Sunday came out strongly against "forcible and fraudulent" religious conversions, stating that "it was not in the spirit of true religion and long term interests of the nation."
Rejecting Pakistan founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah's Two Nation Theory, Mr Advani said divided India did not face the prospect of any further division. "This feeling may be weaker among some sections of the Muslim community, but they too are fast realising that they have no choice but to live here, work here and get integrated into the national mainstream".
"The tragic partition of India has brought no change in this self definition of Indian nationhood. Neither Pakistan nor Bangladesh, or for that matter any other Islamic nation in the world, is a role model for them," Mr Advani said.
Speaking at the release function of a book, Religious Demography in India, Mr Advani said, "It is the forcible and fraudulent conversions that we are opposed to. For it is neither in the spirit of true religion nor in the long-term interests of the nation."
"Let me say, however, that I do not agree with the basic categorisation made by authors of the book - Indian Religionists and others, meaning Muslim and Christians. Although the book does not use the term 'Non-Indian Religionists,' for the latter, this is what it certainly implies. That is not a helpful categorisation at all," Mr Advani said.
He distinguished between natural and forcible conversions and said the latter variety was witnessed in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The Deputy Prime Minister said much of South East Asia's population had become Muslim under the influence of spiritual personalities or respected kings who accepted other religions.
Referring to natural conversion, he said people migrating form one place to another out of free choice has been a natural process in history. This is how Indians in fairly large numbers have gone to the US and settled there. Religious freedom has always been guaranteed in secular India, Mr Advani said.
The Deputy Prime Minister observed that there would always be majority and minority communities but the important thing was to ensure the two lived in harmony and cooperation without fear of insecurity and persecution. partition took place under extraordinary circumstances over which Indian nationalists did not have complete control, the Deputy Prime Minister said.
Quoting former Prime Minister Morarji Desai, he said, "Pakistan got rid of its minority problem by getting rid of minorities themselves." Slowly the same is becoming true of Bangladesh, he added. Mr Advani said he favoured the repeal of the Illegal Migrants Act in Assam saying the demand for it was "justified". The demand for repeal of Illegal Migrants Detention Tribunal Act was all the more justified as the Congress Party had brought in the law for a specific purpose under popular pressure but deliberately framed it in such a manner as to subvert that very purpose, he said.
"Such duplicity and dishonesty on
the question of demography never helps social harmony," Mr Advani said.
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