Issue of Religious Conversion: Why Didn’t You Speak When Hindu Girls Were Abused?

Open challenge to MLAs Jayant Patil and Jitendra Awhad

Mumbai / Pimpri-Chinchwad | People from the Hindu community are now living in fear. A case has been registered at Sonai Police Station involving the sexual abuse of 10-year-old Hindu girls by priests. We have evidence. Yet, no one in the Assembly spoke against those abusive priests. There is no need for any minority community to feel afraid. But if we speak out against atrocities on the Hindu community, there should be no objection to that either. Attempts to create a false narrative that minorities are living in fear should be stopped — with these strong words, BJP MLA Mahesh Landge took an aggressive stance in the Assembly.

In Sangli, a woman named Rutuja Rajge committed suicide while seven months pregnant after facing abuse aimed at forcing her to convert to Christianity. She conveyed a powerful message: “I gave up my life, but not my religion.” Massive rallies were held by the Hindu community in protest. Leaders like MLA Mahesh Landge and MLA Gopichand Padalkar delivered provocative speeches during these rallies, and those sentiments echoed in the Assembly.

NCP Sharad Pawar faction MLA Jayant Patil stated in the Assembly that after the conversion incident in Sangli, large rallies were organized, creating a fearful atmosphere among the minority community. Picking up on this thread, MLA Jitendra Awhad said, “We will turn the priests into Sairat,” alleging that such speeches by Assembly members have instilled fear in the Christian community in the state.

BJP MLA Yogesh Sagar added that whenever someone speaks up from a Hindutva perspective on the issue of conversions, a narrative is created. Not a single riot has taken place during the tenures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. No minority community is unsafe.

Rule of Law in the State…!
Cabinet Minister Ashish Shelar responded firmly to the Assembly debate. The state government has no intention of making any community feel unsafe. The rule of law prevails in the state. The government considers the freedom of every community. However, if any narrative is being set with political motives, it will not be ignored. A crime will be seen and treated purely as a crime. No community needs to be afraid.

While atrocities against Hindus are taking place, some leaders, for the sake of vote-bank politics, try to spread false messages both inside and outside the Assembly. How is it acceptable that you won’t say a word on atrocities against Hindus but raise your voice claiming minorities are unsafe? We will not hesitate in matters of Hindutva and religious duty. Religious service will continue uninterrupted.
– Mahesh Landge, MLA, BJP, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune.