Secularism Means Equal Respect, Conversions Hurt Harmony: Vice-President

He was speaking after the inauguration of SIRI Mathrushree Industrial Park, an initiative by Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari D Veerendra Heggade. Earlier in the day, he offered prayers at Dharmasthala Sri Manjunatha Swamy Temple.

“We have to understand secularism in its real sense. Secularism means treating every religion equally and respecting every religious person. It should not be about appeasement of any particular religion. I believe in Lord Manjunathaswamy and pray in my own way. If somebody believes in Christ, let him pray in his own way. That is real secularism.”

The Vice President also spoke about the issue of forced religious conversion.

“I have never seen a Hindu who is fundamentalist. I have never seen a Hindu who hates other religions. We are not born for it. We want to adopt and respect every religion, and there is no doubt about it,” he said.

He referred to a conference that he attended in Kerala.

“I had attended a conference in Kerala where more than 103 bishops from different Churches had gathered. Since I had worked with the BJP for over four-and-a-half decades, many of them viewed me as a BJP man and had certain apprehensions. They asked whether I was a fundamentalist.

I told them that no Hindu is a fundamentalist and that I respect all religions. But I am against religious conversions,” he said.

“I told them that if harmony has to be there among all the religions, then we should put a full stop to religious conversion. Religious conversion is creating confrontation between religions, and that will not bring harmony among religions,” he added.

“Every individual has the right to remain in his or her faith and the freedom to worship in the manner he or she chooses. I told them that God is one who every religion is helping humanity to reach the holy feet of God through the practice of Bhakti,” he added.

Radhakrishnan said that whethere it is Christianity Bhakti or Islamic bhakti or Hindu Bhati that is irrelevant. But Bhakti is a must.

“We never hesitate to accept Allah as God. We never hesitate to accept Christ as God. What we say is only this: do not force me to give up Lord Manjunathaswamy under any circumstances. Let me worship Manjunathaswamy in my own way. Where, then, is the question of harming any other religion?” Radhakrishnan questioned.

The Vice-President described Veerendra Heggade’s life as “a message to society”, saying he has, for nearly six decades, demonstrated how spirituality can drive social transformation. He also lauded Smt. Hemavathi V Heggade’s contribution to women’s empowerment and social welfare. He noted that SIRI today provides direct livelihood to over 3,000 people and indirect livelihood to more than 10,000 others, mostly women from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The Vice-President said that at a time when the world is increasingly speaking about coexistence and harmony, Dharmasthala has been practising those values not for years but for centuries. Under the leadership of Veerendra Heggade, he said, Dharmasthala has evolved into a major spiritual centre while also emerging as one of the country's most respected institutions dedicated to social service.