4 min readNew DelhiMar 29, 2024 04:14 AM IST
First published on: Mar 28, 2024 at 08:49 PM IST
A Hyderabad-based NGO, said to be ideologically closer to the RSS, has written to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) seeking cancellation of FCRA registration of two prominent NGOs — Caritas India based in Delhi and Rural Development Trust based in Anantpur, Andhra Pradesh — alleging they are involved in religious conversions.
Legal Rights Protection Forum (LRPF), an NGO established in 2016, has been campaigning against various NGOs largely on the issue of religious conversions. It claims that licences of various non-government organisations such as Harvest India, World Vision India and Tamil Nadu-based Jesus Redeems Ministries have been cancelled or suspended following its complaints.
“Caritas India is raising funds from abroad through the FCRA channel in the name of various welfare activities by projecting the people of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities are the only poor in India to divide society into groups. The said NGO, through its various programs, is offering economic incentives to people of the selected sections of society that lead to social disharmony. These economic incentives are being utilized to motivate people to abandon their ancestral faith and accept Christianity as their new faith which is leading to social tensions within tribal groups and across communities,” LRPF said in its March 21 complaint to the MHA.
The NGO has raised objections to why Caritas India is focusing on Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh when UP and Bihar have more poor from SC/ST communities.
“Frequent visits by various foreign representatives of Caritas India’s global partners such as Caritas Australia to India in the guise of participating in Caritas India raises the needle of suspicion that the real purpose of their visits is to fulfil the twin objectives of monitoring the utilization of mineral resources and creating social disharmony through religious conversions into Christianity in the states of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh,” the complaint said.
In its complaint against Rural Development Trust, LRPF said, “It has come to our knowledge that the Andhra Pradesh Government’s free housing project for poor and marginalized communities is being utilized by the Rural Development Trust for its Christian conversions.”
The NGO said that even though the land allotment for free housing projects is made by the state government and the Central government provides financial assistance through the Prime Minister’s Awas Yojana, it is never mentioned by the Rural Development Trust to the general public.
“Moreover, the free housing colonies are being named as ‘RDT Colonies’ to give the impression among the poor people that the Rural Development Trust is the sole and absolute stakeholder in these welfare projects. After the completion of the free house constructions and set up of RDT colonies for the people belonging to Scheduled Caste communities, the said NGO constructed churches in each such colony as a part of its Christian conversion agenda. It is pertinent to note that no temple is allowed to be constructed in such colonies,” the complaint has said.
Reacting to the allegations, an RDT spokesperson said: “RDT Is a non-political, non-religious, nationally oriented organisation with over five decades of work in rural development in the states of Andhra and Telangana. The allegations made are absolutely baseless and untrue. Far from reality. We extend to you our invitation to visit and see for yourself the work that is carried out by RDT.”
LRPF working president A S Santosh said his NGO works with SC and ST communities to make them aware of their rights and fight religious conversions. “We have a research team that analyses the finances of foreign funded organisations, prepares reports and sends them to MHA and other relevant government departments,” Santosh told The Indian Express while denying that he was associated with the RSS.
Emails sent to Caritas India and Rural Development Trust did not elicit any response. While the MHA website continues to show Caritas India and Rural Development Trust as FCRA registered NGOs, the ministry has not responded to a query on LRPF’s complaints.
In its complaint against Rural Development Trust, LRPF said, “It has come to our knowledge that the Andhra Pradesh Government’s free housing project for poor and marginalized communities is being utilized by the Rural Development Trust for its Christian conversions.” (File/ ANI) 
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