VHP plans conversions in Sonia's Rae Bareli

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Monday announced plans to convert 60 Muslim and Christian families to Hinduism in Rae Bareli, Congress president Sonia Gandhi's constituency.

The 'ghar wapsi' or homecoming, as the VHP and allied groups call such programmes, did not amount to communalism, VHP's Rae Bareli district unit chief Harish Chandra Sharma said.

He said the families were ready for 'ghar wapsi'. There was no allurement or coercion involved, he added.
He said the Rae Bareli event would take place in January.
Rae Bareli, a traditional Congress party stronghold, is the latest place in Uttar Pradesh to be picked by Hindu rightwing groups to convert members of minority communities to Hinduism.
Sharma blasted what he called "pseudo-secular" parties and politicians for giving the conversion programmes -- which have rocked national parliament -- a communal colour.
The first of such mass conversions took place in Agra, and the Bajrang Dal claimed responsibility.
There, some 30 Muslim families living in a slum were reportedly made to sit through a fire ceremony and declared Hindus. Similar events have been announced for Bulandshahr, Varanasi -- which Prime Minister Narendra Modi represents in the Lok Sabha -- and Aligarh.