Minorities panel to be revived in Gujarat

AHWA, JAN 10: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today said that if Christian missionaries continued religious conversions, the Governme...

AHWA, JAN 10: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today said that if Christian missionaries continued religious conversions, the Government cannot stop reconversions. He also announced that the Gujarat Government has decided to revive the Minority Commission in the State. 8220;If you allow conversions, then the reconversions cannot be stopped,8221; he told a delegation of the Church of North India CNI at the circuit house, when it complained against reconversions by Hindu organisations.

When a delegation of the Hindu Jagran Manch met Vajpayee, he told them 8220;Shanti to aap log layenge, It is you who will bring peace.8221; When a Manch delegate said that his relatives were converted to Christianity due to poverty, Vajpayee shot back, 8220;You are also living in poverty. Have you been converted? Poverty cannot be a reason for conversion.8221;

Vajpayeealso visited the Navjot Missionary School at Subir about 30 km from here, which was attacked, and had tea with the Christian priest. A missionary told him, 8220;The onlymistake we are doing is to teach people in backward areas.8221;

He also visited Galakund village, where five tribal youths were injured in an incident of firing by a Christian sarpanch. 8220;This was an unfortunate incident which should not be repeated,8221; he said.

Referring to the Minority Commission at a press conference here after visiting the trouble-torn Dangs district, Vajpayee said Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubai Patel, who was sitting beside him,8220;has just told me that it will be revived.8221;

He was not initially aware about the factual position of the State Minority Commission when asked whether he would instruct the State to revive it.As Vajpayee said 8220;I believe that minority commissions are functioning in all States,8221; a correspondent told him that in the neighbouring Maharashtra also, the Minority Commission was wound up after the Shiv Sena-BJP Government came to power in 1995.

When told that the Commission was scrapped by the BJP Government in Gujarat also, the Prime Minister said 8220;The CM hasjust told me that the Commission will be revived.8221;

The Prime Minister later left for Nasik in Maharashtra.