Religious conversions on the rise

Hyderabad, Oct 25: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)today alleged that conversions, by foreign missionaries, were on the increase in Andhra Pradesh and demanded that they should be deported immediately from the country.

Addressing a press conference here, state BJP unit spokesman and Vice-President S Seshagiri Rao claimed that conversions were rampant even in Nalgonda district, the native place of Home Minister K Jana Reddy, and also in Warangal. But no action had been taken by the state police and revenue officials to stop this, he charged.

Alleging a 'conspiracy to swindle funds' of the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanams (TTD), administering the Lord Venkateswara temple, one of the world's richest, on the pretext of operating a television channel, he demanded shelving of the proposal.

The TTD, which was unable to successfully produce even a teleserial or maintain its book stalls properly, should not entertain the idea of operating a television channel, he charged.

UNI