Gopalpuri, India - At least 97 tribals who had embraced Christianity, have converted back to Hinduism at a conclave organized by Dharm Jagaran Manch in Gopalpuri village of Dhamtari district in Chhattisgarh.
Dilip Singh Judev of the Bharatiya Janata Party, who was a witness to the reconversion, played down the party’s role in the event, but said that the BJP’s main motive was to make the people of the village feel secure.
“BJP has nothing to do with it (the conversion). What BJP wants is that the people should feel secure and happy. There should be overall development in the area,” Judev said.
Kul Mani, a tribal, who embraced Hinduism, said: “I did not have any children and they said praying to God will definitely help me have a child, so I had converted to Christianity. Now I have realized that I made a mistake. So I am embracing Hinduism again,” said Kaushalya Sahu, a tribal who turned Hindu.
“More than 90 percent of the people have converted back to Hinduism,” said Puneet Ram Sahu, another tribal who turned Hindu.
Conversion is a sensitive issue in the country Hindu groups accuse Christian missionaries of using lures such as schools and healthcare—which they call “forced conversions”—to get poor people to join their faith.
Christian activists deny accusations of using inducements such as education to get people to convert and say they only provide charity.