Posted by Ashok Chowgule (ashokvc@giasbm01.vsnl.net.in)
The Asian Age
April 22, 1999
Title: Dangs swami holds Hindu sammelan to check conversions Author: Publication: The Asian Age Date: April 22, 1999 Swamy Asimanand from the Dangs said Hindutva is linked to Patriotism and religious conversion of adivasis was dividing the society. He was speaking during a Hindu Sammelan in Chopda where adivasis from Madhya Pradesh and other places had converged. The Hindu Sammelan has decided to sea up a Dharma Raksha Samiti in every village to counter propaganda by Christian missionaries and save the Hindu religion, said sources in Nashik. The Sammelan would oppose further conversions, he said. Swamy Asimanand said: The adivasis are being misguided by people who are not Hindus. The Hindu religion does not have any fixed parameters of upasna. The adivasis are pure Hindus. According to the Aryans, All people residing on the banks of the Sindhu are Hindus." He claimed that the Christian missionaries were taking advantage of the innocence and illiteracy of the adivasis and converting them to Christianity. "We want to reconvert all Christian adivasis to the Hindu religion," he asserted. He said that during the reconversion process, the adivasis were not asked to change their way of life. The Sammelan reconverted 15,000 adivasis in Dang district of Gujarat recently, he claimed. Speaking on the occasion, Sant Panditji said: "There were 20 lakh Christians in India during the British rule. Today their population is 3.5 crore." He alleged that the politicians are responsible for this. "We respect Prabhu, Yeshu but the missionaries are playing a cloak and dagger game," the swami said. "Hindus should stop offering donations to temples and instead offer the amount to the Sammelan to help poor Adivasis," he added. The Sammelan passed two major resolutions - it demanded an inquiry into foreign donations to Christian missionaries and into the number of conversions.
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