(Image source from: Eight lakh Hindus undergoing religious conversion each year)

These days, religious conversions have emerged as controversial topics, especially after the Sangh Parivar constituents spearheaded the Ghar Wapsi intiative. The initiative is intended for the reconversion of non-Hindus into Hinduism.

In this back drop, it was claimed by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) national general secretary Y Raghavulu that nearly eight lakh Hindus are being converted to other religions like Christianity or Islam each year. He said at a function organized for the felicitation of veteran VHP leader Mohanlal Agarwal. Eevn though VHP international President G Raghava Reddy was at the function, he did not speak to the media.

Raghavulu alleged that, "Religious conversion of Hindus is taking place in great numbers and this is a threat to India's integrity."

"Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh were once part of Akhand Bharat. Today these have become separate countries. We cannot allow further disintegration of our country," Raghavulu added.

Christian and Muslims were also charged by the VHP leader for encouraging religious conversion in India, as a strategy to dominate the country.

"Other strategies to dominate India are to encourage infiltration, grab land of Hindus, to create divisions among Indian communities and lastly to increase their population. We all know very well about the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu and Kashmiri and in recent year the burning of Bodo villages by Bangladeshis in Assam," Raghavulu alleged.

Other claim from Raghavulu is that religious conversion as well as infiltration from neighboring Bangladesh is happening in Assam at an "alarming pace."

According to the VHP leader, "Along with many parts of the country, in Assam too many districts have seen significant rise in Muslim population while Hindu population has declined. This is indeed a threat to the Hindu samaj. It is high time we wake up to the threat from religious conversion."

-Sumana