The only conversion Narendra Modi should seek is to plenty

Religious conversions will not help Narendra Modi to achieve his objectives, writes Soumik Mukherjee

If Indians voted with their feet for Narendra Modi, it was only because of his promise for economic development. Channi Anand / AP Photo

When Narendra Modi declared his intention to run for prime minister earlier this year, he raised a question that dwarfed all others: would he be any good for Indian democracy?

About seven months into his government, the answer to that question may be emerging.

Members of Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS) – the ideological basis of the Bharatiya Janata Party headed by Mr Modi – have been appointed to key positions in the governing party and cultural institutions. More than at any other time in the BJP’s stint in office at federal or state level, nationalists have railed against the introduction of “western” practices such as putting candles on birthday cakes, celebrating Valentine’s Day, wearing bikinis on the beach and using English in schools. Recently, they demanded that the Hindu religious book, Bhagwad Gita, be declared national scripture. Earlier this month a religious preacher-turned-minister, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, described non-Hindus as “bastard children” at a campaign rally in Delhi, sparking a firestorm of controversies, although Mr Modi made her apologise in parliament. These incidents aside, there is a larger and nagging issue, one that has always been associated with the BJP: religious conversions. Some recent events have set off alarm bells, with liberals warning that they will fracture India’s society.

Earlier this month, as The National reported, more than 50 Muslims families of ragpickers in a village in Agra were reportedly converted to Hinduism apparently without their knowledge when they were attending a havan (Hindu religious ceremony). Dozens fled the village. The “victims” claimed they were asked to attend the event in order to receive ration cards and other basic amenities. Some acknowledged they knew they were being converted and gave in under pressure.

“We are poor people with nowhere to go, and if our landlord tells us to leave, we will have nowhere to go. What could the men have said but yes?” the Indian Express quoted one of the villagers as saying.

Around the same time, RSS announced that on Christmas Day they would hold a “Purkho ke Ghar Wapsi” (a purification and homecoming drive) programme, where they plan to convert at least 4,000 Christian and 1,000 Muslim families into Hinduism. Organisers claimed it will be one of the biggest conversion events ever. Police, however, said they would not allow any such ceremony to be held there, fearing a law and order problem.

What happens remains to be seen. The Indian constitution allows citizens the liberty to practice, propagate and profess their religion. Therefore, freedom to convert or be converted remains an important democratic principle.

So why did the Agra event raise so much hue and cry? That’s because these mass conversions are political in nature and could create communal tensions. It’s also because of the unethical use of material inducement to convert individuals.

As the Agra incident indicates, these conversions were driven by the politics of discrimination and exploitation.

However, many of these “converts” said they returned to their original faith, which proves that at the core of this issue lies poverty and deprivation.

Therefore, conversion from one religion to another, whether of individuals or groups and whether they create political or social tensions or not, ought not be of much concern so long as there is no force or forgery involved.

The real concern is that this phenomenon tends to deflect attention from the collective prosperity promised by the Modi government.

For today’s generation, slogans of Hindutva are far less significant than jobs, economic development and quality of life. There is a genuine desire for economic growth and good governance. This was evident in election rallies and the massive voter-turnout in militancy affected states such as Kashmir and Chhattisgarh, as well as in the collective effort to maintain peace and communal harmony when riots broke out between Hindus and Muslims in Delhi’s Trilokpuri area.

If Indians have voted for the BJP with their feet, it was only because of its emphatic promises to turn around the economy. It would be a tragedy if, in the end, Mr Modi’s lofty slogans prove to be as hollow as that of the Congress party and its mission to eradicate poverty.