RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat defies PM Modi, supports 'ghar wapsi'

Backing the ‘ghar wapsi (homecoming)’ programme being carried by right-wing groups, Bhagwat said that these were being held to bring back those who had been diverted from the path.

With religious issues, ranging from conversion to Ram mandir taking predominance over his development plank, the prime minister recently warned members of the saffron parivar, including ministers and MPs, against crossing the “Lakshman rekha” by making controversial statements.

Speaking in Kochi on Saturday, BJP president Amit Shah also made it clear that his party was against any forcible conversion.

Addressing a rally in Kolkata, Bhagwat, while defending religious conversion, said: “We are not involved in conversion but ghar-wapsi.” For the RSS sarsangchalak, “Hindu samaj jaag raha hai, Hindu ko kisi ka bhay karne ki aavashyakta nahi hai (Hindus are waking up. Hindus don’t need to fear anyone).”

Pitching for an anti-conversion law, Bhagwat told the Opposition: “If Hindus can’t convert others, others should not be allowed to convert Hindus. Bring a law against conversion in Parliament if you don’t like conversion.”

Though the RSS chief apparently ignored the prime minister’s warning, his move to rake up the conversion issue was also being viewed as an attempt to mount pressure on the Opposition to support the anti-conversion law. In fact, even the BJP is trying to hard-sell anti-conversion legislation quite aggressively.

Though BJP president Amit Shah opposed “forcible conversion”, he backed an anti-conversion law. “The BJP is against forceful conversions and that is why we want to bring a law. So-called secular parties should support the BJP’s move,” Shah said in Kochi.

He also felt that a “public debate on the matter can be taken up only after arriving at a consensus among political parties.”

It was clear that the RSS chief’s statement might be going against the PM’s call to exercise restraint while talking about religious issues, but both the RSS and BJP-led NDA were working in tandem on the contentious anti-conversion law.

The RSS boss went on to say that “Pakistan was once Bharat bhoomi. But now you see the conditions of Hindus there.”

And then, cautioning those not in sync with Sangh views, he reminded them: “We didn’t infiltrate into anyone’s country. We didn’t come from somewhere to settle here. This is our Hindu country. People were taken away from us by force and lure. We will bring them back.”

That the Sangh Parivar was set to push its “ghar wapsi” agenda in a big way also became clear when on Friday the VHP justified the home-coming programme.