Attacks unfortunate, says Patel

SURAT, Jan 19: AICC treasurer Ahmed Patel said law should take its own course if 8220;there is forcible conversion in tribal districts of Dangs.8221;Patel, who was here on Monday to attend an Iftaar party hosted by the party city unit, described the attacks on prayer halls in Dangs as quot;unfortunatequot; and said attacking minorities was not fair. 8220;If the missionaries are converting tribals, as alleged by the Sangh Parivar, the state government should stop it. There are laws to deal with the situation but attacking missionary institutions is no way to check conversion,8221; he added.

Reacting to the VHP8217;s conversion bogy, the Congress leader said as such the Christian population had decreased over the past one decade. He said census showed that the population of Christians had actually decreased by .1 per cent from 2.6 per cent to 2.5 per cent in 1991.

Though there is no substantial ground to establish that Christians are converting tribals, the BJP government should act, Patel said. The Congress Party has asked President K R Narayanan to keep a watch on Gujarat and warn the state government, he said, adding if the attacks on Christians continued in the state, the Congress will demand dismissal of Keshubhai Patel government.

State Congress President C D Patel, who was also present for the Iftaar Party, indicated that the Congress would seek imposition of president8217;s rule in Gujarat. 8220;We are heading towards that8221;, he said, adding that right now the party had demanded imposition of article 355 under which the state government is kept under watch.

Launching a blistering attack on the Sangh Parivar, the State Congress president said Bajrang Dal was following in the footsteps of Taliban.