Tribals embracing Christianity, other faith must be delisted from ST list: Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram

'The Hindu society also had caste divisions and feelings of superiority and inferiority. Missionaries offered affection as well as inducements, and that contributed to conversions,' Satyendra Singh said.

New Delhi: Religious conversion is a major threat to the country and has deeply affected tribal regions, leading to "serious social conflicts and divisions", Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram president Satyendra Singh has said, while calling for a constitutional amendment to check this menace.

In an exclusive interview with PTI Videos, Singh said the solution to "many problems related to conversion" lies in amending Article 342 of the Constitution to deny benefits under the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category to those who convert from Hinduism to Christianity or Islam on the lines of Article 341, which has such provisions for the members of the Scheduled Castes (SCs) embracing other religions.

Singh said while the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, an RSS-affiliate, mainly works in areas such as education, healthcare, self-reliance and cultural awareness, it set up the Janjati Suraksha Manch in Raipur in 2006 to further pursue the issue of "delisting" the members of the ST communities who have converted to Islam, Christianity or any other non-Hindu religion.

He claimed that a large section of the tribal community has undergone religious conversion, adding that wherever conversions took place, a strong sense of "alienation" emerged.

"Our own people gradually became disconnected from each other. Conflicts and divisions started within the society itself. One brother became Christian, another remained Hindu, and this created divisions within families and communities," he said.

Referring to Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram founder Balasaheb Deshpande, Singh said, "He had said in his final days that while we are engaged in the service of people, the coming times would also be a period of struggle. Therefore, we would also need to prepare workers from that perspective." Singh also acknowledged that social discrimination and caste divisions within the Hindu society have contributed to religious conversions.

"There can be many reasons behind religious conversions. Some shortcomings also existed within our own society. People should have received more affection and inclusion," he said.

He alleged that missionary activities expanded during the British rule under the pretext of education, healthcare and welfare work, and claimed that "inducements" provided by Christian missionaries also played a role in conversions.

"The Hindu society also had caste divisions and feelings of superiority and inferiority. Missionaries offered affection as well as inducements, and that contributed to conversions," Singh said.

According to Singh, religious conversions took place most significantly in the northeast, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Kerala.

He referred to an earlier demand for a "Greater Jharkhand" (Brihad Jharkhand), comprising parts of Bihar, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and described it as a conspiracy to divide the country.

"In Jharkhand, there was even a demand at one point for a separate nation -- a Greater Jharkhand, consisting of parts of Bihar, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal. According to us, it was envisioned as a Christian-majority region in central India. We see it as part of a conspiracy to divide the country," Singh told PTI.

Explaining the background of the "delisting" demand, the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram chief referred to former Congress MP Kartik Oraon and claimed that he had raised concerns in Parliament over converted tribals continuing to receive ST reservation benefits.

"After entering Parliament, he studied the Constitution to examine whether tribal reservation benefits were truly reaching the intended communities. He travelled across the country and found that people who had converted were receiving a larger share of the benefits.

"He felt that those who had abandoned tribal traditions and culture through religious conversion should not continue receiving reservation benefits. He raised this issue in Parliament and debated it there," Singh said.

According to Singh, a joint committee formed by the government in 1969 had proposed that those who had converted to Christianity or Islam should no longer receive ST reservation benefits.

He claimed that the proposal could not move forward after Parliament was dissolved in 1970 due to political pressure.

"It was argued that if the proposal was passed, Christianity would face difficulties. The funds and the entire network through which activities and propaganda were being carried out would be affected. Those benefitting from reservation in government jobs would also lose those advantages. So tremendous pressure was created from many sides. Kartik Oraon had debated the matter extensively," he said.

"But in December 1970, Parliament was dissolved. Indira Gandhi said the matter would be considered later. Kartik Oraon died in December 1981.

"That proposal contained solutions to many problems," Singh said.

He further claimed that leaders, such as B R Ambedkar and Jagjivan Ram, had protected their communities from religious conversion, but the tribal society did not have many leaders like Kartik Oraon.

"As a result, tribal reservation continued to be based on tribe rather than religion. Whether a person followed Christianity, Islam, traditional beliefs or none at all, they continued to receive tribal reservation benefits. According to us, that was a flaw," he said.

"To pursue this issue further, the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram established the Janjati Suraksha Manch in Raipur in 2006. Under its guidance, the movement continues today because, according to us, religious conversion poses a threat to the country," he added.