Now, ABAP mulls ways to prevent religious conversions

ABAP’s president Mahant Narendra Giri says we must provide an equal opportunity to all so that such incidents can be stopped.

PRAYAGRAJ: Following arrest of two persons from the state recently who were allegedly involved in religious conversions, the Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP) has decided to convene an emergency meeting of all 13 recognised Hindu monastic orders and decide on steps to be taken to put a stop to such practices.

ABAP’s president Mahant Narendra Giri said that we must provide an equal opportunity to all so that such incidents can be stopped.

“Past experiences have shown us that those, who have been neglected or who have been treated as outcasts, have often taken refuge in other religions. We will request all Hindus to rise above the caste lines and not to treat anyone as inferior while ensuring that they do not create circumstances wherein someone changes his or her religion”, said Mahant Narendra Giri.

He said that soon a meeting of the representatives of all the 13 akharas would be held and the only agenda would be to ask disciples and common Hindus to rise above the caste system and mull over the steps for bringing back those who have changed their religion.

“We have always advocated welcoming back those who have switched over to other religions and our seers and disciples would be given the task to make people aware of the need to rise above the narrow caste system. Juna Akhara and for that matter even ABAP does not believe in caste system because of which even dalit have been appointed as Mahamandeleshwars,” said Mahant Hari Giri, ABAP general secretary and chief patron of Juna Akhara, the largest of the 13 akharas in terms of members.

The decision of the ABAP comes close on the heels of their earlier stand advocating for bringing a legal draft for population control.

Narendra Giri, in a press statement had said that the seers have already been demanding that the ever-increasing population in the country should be controlled. He had said that under the Population Control Act it should be ensured that couples, irrespective of their religion, should have only two children.

He said that if the population growth in the country is not stopped by bringing a law, then there may be a big population explosion in the coming days.

We will request all Hindus to rise above the caste lines and not to treat anyone as inferior MAHANT NARENDRA GIRI, ABAP president