Author: News(PTI)
Publication: Free Press
Journal, Mumbai
Date: July 24, 2000
NEW DELHI: In a counter-offensive,
an RSS outfit on Sunday urged Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to wake
up to and curb the "objectionable activities" of certain fundamentalist
Christian missionaries in the country including "aggressive harvesting
of faith" and "mischievous propaganda" against Hindus and Hindu organisations,
reports PTI.
"Prajna Pravah" the intellectual
forum of the RSS, in a letter to Vajpayee, said that the "propaganda being
systematically planned and executed by the church would lower Bharat's
image in more that one way in the eyes of the world".
"The mischievous propaganda,
by circulation of lies, misrepresentations and insinuation, to say the
least in inflammatory and disturbing, and certainly invites legal and administrative
action," Rajendra Chaddha, Joint Co-ordinator of the forum, said in the
communication.
The letter assumes significance
in the wake of the recent attacks on Christians, over which Sangh Parivar
has come in for severe criticism. RSS, which has denied all charges
of involvement in the attacks, had earlier threatened to sue publications
carrying "baseless" charges against it.
Quoting extensively from
Christian publications to substantiate his charge that they were "heaping
abuses on Hindu deities and mocking at the religious symbols and practices
of Hindus" Chaddha says, "apart from aggressive harvesting efforts, this
literary insinuation against Hindu religion is one of the major causes
of communal disturbance in the country.
"I am sure that you will
appreciate and be sympathetic with what this anguished social worker feels
about the ongoing mischievous propaganda against Hindus and Hindu organisations,"
Chaddha said in his letter to Vajpayee.
"It is high time that
the Government woke up the aggravating problem and did justice to the aggrieved
society (majority society) by curing the anti-national and anti-social
force," he said.
"Defending the Vishwa
Hindu Parishad (VHP) against the charge of spreading hate literature against
the minorities, the RSS leader says, "VHP booklets and pamphlets increasingly
prove how the activities of Christians fundamentalists are aimed at destablilising
the Hindu society and the state.
VHP leader Pravinbhai
Togadia had last week demanded prosecution of Christian leaders for levelling
"baseless allegations" against Sangh Parivar outfits.
Christian leaders had
declined to participate in a dialogue with VHP and Bajrang Dal leaders
organised by the National Commission for Minorities on July 11 demanding
that the ambit of representation of the majority community be widened.
"Prajna Pravah" had in May sent a similar open letter to all members of
Parliament "exposing the intentions" of the church and accusing it of making
an issue out of non-existing events."
The letter coming in
the wake of the formation of Christian MPs forum quoted extensively from
"church publications" to prove the RSS charge that missionaries were engaged
in mass-scale conversions.
