Thiruvananthapurm: Drawing attention towards religious conversions, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday said “while helping someone, do not pull them towards conversion, this is intolerable.”
The Vice President said this while delivering the 4th P. Parameswaran Memorial Lecture on “Democracy, Demography, Development and the future of Bharat,” organised by Bharatheeya Vicharakendram.
“The challenge is coming in various forms: one is through allurements, temptations, reaching out to the needy and vulnerable, providing support, and then in a subtle way suggesting a change of religion, which is labeled as conversions,”
“The country allows everyone to have a religion of his or her choice, this is our fundamental right, this is handed to us from our civilizational wealth but if this is tampered with, it is tweaked, it cannot be tolerated. Greed and temptation cannot be the basis for this.”
“When someone is in pain, in difficulty, in need, while helping them, do not pull them towards conversion, this is intolerable. No matter how much I try, I will not be able to express the gravity of the concern, the enormity of the challenge we are facing due to these strategised, orchestrated, financially backed misadventures aimed at affecting conversions.”
Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram Director R Sanjayan, Dr. Sudesh Dhankhar, spouse of the Vice-President, R.V. Arlekar, Governor of Kerala, V Muraleedharan, former Union Minister, former BJP MLA O Rajagopal, Kendram President CV Jayamani and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.
UNI
