Raipur: State Legislative Assembly on March 17 witnessed a discussion over religious conversion allegedly assisted by Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) receiving foreign funding under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).
The issue was raised by Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA, Ajay Chandrakar who while expressing concerns over conversion activities through ‘Changai Sabha’ stated that many NGOs registered for education, welfare and health were allegedly misusing foreign funds for conversion.
The BJP MLA further highlighted about the NGOs working in Bastar and Jashpur region of the state which are managed and operated by missionaries. He also questioned the transparency of missionary educational institution grants.
Joining the debate, BJP MLA Sushant Shukla highlighted about the ‘Joshua Project’ which was aimed allegedly at promoting illegal conversion in a planned manner.
Replying to the queries raised, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma said that a total of 153 NGOs in the state receive foreign funding under FCRA and the same was oversight by the Union Government.
He noted that the state had 364 NGOs receiving funds under the FCRA previously, out of which funding of 84 NGOs was suspended while a total of 127 NGO’s operational validity lapses.
Sharma added that separate departments of government allocates annual grants of Rs 200-300 crores for educational purposes and an audit of grants provided in the past three years has been ordered on instruction of the Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai.
He further affirmed that the Chhattisgarh Dharm Swatantraya Adhiniyam 1968 remains active in the state and the government is planning to strengthen its provisions to deal with the issue of unlawful conversion.
Speaking outside the assembly, Sharma said “a stringent law will come to stop illegal conversion. There is clarity on the issue of illegal conversion in Sai’s government. Illegal conversion will not be tolerated and strict action will be taken if anybody provides information according to case, the police are committed to take action. Every step will be taken to protect the Sanatani values”.
Sharma’s statement has arrived days after media reports suggested that the state government is preparing to enact a stringent law to deal with the issue of illegal conversion.
It was reported that the proposed legislature is prepared after studying the laws of three states and will include a provision to ensure that prior information be given to concerned authorities before conversion.
Significantly the state government had earlier announced to investigate about the financial transactions of all the NGOs receiving foreign funding under FCRA in the state.
According to reports, out of the total 153 non-government bodies in the state, 52 are associated with the Christian community. Also most of these NGOs have preferred working in tribal (Janjati) dominated areas where conversion related activities are reported to be on the rise since always.
Reports suggest that 9 out of such 19 FCRA-registered non-government bodies in Bastar and 15 out of 18 such institutions in Jashpur of Surguja are being operated by the missionaries. Both Bastar and Surguja are tribal dominated divisions of the state.
It is to be noted that conversion activities in Janjatis dominated pockets through illegal means has been a major issue in the state, often sparking protest from Hindu activists and tribal community. Such activities have often resulted in scuffles and tension between the Hindus and the Christian community. Further, the role of Christian missionaries in funding such illegal conversion has also been debated for long.
