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Journalism of Courage
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. “If you allow conversions, then the reconversions cannot be stopped,” he told a delegation of the Church of North India (CNI) at the circuit house, when it complained against reconversions by Hindu organisations.
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, “The onlymistake we are doing is to teach people in backward areas.”
He also visited Galakund village, where five tribal youths were injured in an incident of firing by a Christian sarpanch. “This was an unfortunate incident which should not be repeated,” 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,“has just told me that it will be revived.”
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 “I believe that minority commissions are functioning in all States,” 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 “The CM hasjust told me that the Commission will be revived.”
The Prime Minister later left for Nasik in Maharashtra.
