Ahmedabad: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) today said that though christian missionaries led conversions in many parts of the country especially in the North East and other tribal belts was still a problem, it has been checked to a great extent in Gujarat and neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.

Addressing a press conference here RSS sanghchalak (pashchim kshetra or western region), Jayantibhai Bhadesia said that owing to the wrong policies of the earlier governments since independence, a distance with the north-eastern states was created. ‘The tendency among the people of north-east to feel different cropped up and the conversions by missionaries worsened the situation by giving rise to many anti-national activities. Apart from government initiatives, social efforts should be made to mend things there. RSS has taken up several service based measures to end this feeling of alienation among the people of North-East,’ he said.

‘However, it is matter of pleasure that the activities of missionaries has been checked in the tribal belts of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh in last few years. RSS has taken several steps for it. As part of such initiative over 3000 women had spent 3 days with the tribal families. The Sabari Kumbh of 2006 in Gujarat and Narmada Kumbh of Madhya Pradesh have also paid off and the conversions based on various temptations from missionaries have been checked in these two states. However still anti nationalist activities in the name of Aadivasi (aborigine), Mool Nivasi (being the original domicile ) and being non-Hindu in the tribal areas persists and the RSS with its service based activities was trying to counter it successfully,’ he said.

Taking about the problem of illegal immigration and infiltration from Bangladesh, Bhadeshia said that though there should be one standard law to check the problem yet for areas like West Bengal where this was causing many socio economic problems to the local Hindu population it should be dealt with more strictly.
‘In West Bengal the Bangladeshi infiltrators easily mingle with the local Muslim population and get various i-cards which make it very difficult to identify them. The state government was not taking appropriated measures required,’ he said.

To a query that the government at center was that of BJP and it should also be held responsible for the unchecked flow of infiltrators, he said that there were many factors responsible for the problem. ‘The state government was no taking appropriate measures,’ he reiterated.

DeshGujarat