VHP show of strength at Erode: Togadia

Jabalpur, Mar 18 (UNI) About five lakh people are expected to attend the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's regional conference at Erode, Tamil Nadu, VHP Secretary General Pravin Togadia said today.

RSS chief K S Sudarshan and VHP President Ashok Singhal will also attend the conference, being held at the birthplace of Dravidian movement founder late E V Ramaswamy Naicker, Dr Togadia told UNI.

He said after the show of strength, the VHP would be in a bargaining position with the political parties on the eve of the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. Polarisation of Hindu forces was on the priority of the VHP, he added.

After north-eastern states, he alleged that maximum religious conversion was taking place in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, followed by Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.

He claimed conversion to Christianity had come to a near halt in Banswada area of Rajasthan following health, education and social activities undertaken by VHP leader Ramswaroop.

Admitting that preventing conversion was a gigantic task, Dr Togadia alleged about 17,000 of the total 24,000 organisations, registered with the Home Ministry for receiving foreign contribution, had links with Christian missionaries and were directly or indirectly abetting conversions.

The number of Ekal Vidyalayas run by VHP would be increased to 25,000 from 11,000 at present, he said, adding that slums in urban areas, starting from Bhopal, would also be covered soon under the Ekal Vidyalaya project.

UNI RG-SP SHB GC1544