‘Embracing Buddhism is not conversion,’ says VHP, calls AAP’s Surendra Gautam ‘anti-Dalit jihad supporter’

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA and Delhi Cabinet minister Surendra Pal Gautam stirred a hornet’s nest last Wednesday when he attended a ‘conversion’ event in Delhi where 10,000 Hindus embraced Buddhism and took oath with others that they will not worship Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva, Lord Brahma, Lord Ram, Lord Krishna, Goddess Gauri and Ganpati or any other Hindu God after embracing Buddhism.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took strong exception to the event and called Gautam, AAP and Arvind Kejriwal ‘anti-Hindu’, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) said it did not have a problem with event and people having embraced Buddhism.

‘Embracing Buddhism is not conversion’

Talking exclusively to Firstpost, VHP’s international joint general secretary Surendra Jain said, “Even the Constitution of India considers Buddhists as Hindus. There can be several different traditions of worship and praying in a single family. VHP does not consider embracing Buddhism as conversion.”

“Babasaheb Ambedkar was also faced with this problem. He was enticed by Islam, Christianity, but he chose Buddhism so that he could escape untouchability and still remain India. He did not have a problem with Hinduism, but only untouchability. There is no problem in Hindus embracing Buddhism. So far as people embrace any cultural practice and tradition that has roots in India, that was born in India, that is Indian, VHP has no problem.”

‘Gautam’s constituency safe haven for jihadis’

But, Jain also lashed out at Surendra Pal Gautam for “siding with jihadis” in his own electoral constituency of Seema Puri.

Must Read: BJP guns for ‘anti-Hindu’ AAP minister, tells Kejriwal to sack Gautam if he is ‘secular’

“Instead of such a farcical show, Gautam must first focus on the dismal state of the Dalit community of his own constituency. Seemapuri has become a safe haven for the ‘sar tan se juda’ gang. Gautam is siding with these jihadis, who have made life impossible for Hindu Dalits. Dalit women of his constituency are regularly molested and are afraid to venture out.”

Surendra Pal Gautam’s version

Taking to Twitter, the minister from the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi cabinet bragged about the widespread conversion and said: “With the support of Mission Jai Bhim, more than 10,000 intellectuals took a pledge to make a caste-free and untouchable India by converting to the Faith of Gautam Buddha,” wrote AAP leader.

‘Event nothing to do with politics’, says AAP’s Rajendra Pal Gautam

Talking to News18, AAP minister Rajendra Pal Gautam said that the event was organised by the Buddhist Society of India and it has nothing to do with politics.

AAP is anti-Hindu: BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called the AAP a ‘Hindu Virodhi Party’, or the anti-Hindu Party.

“This has not happened for the first time. I want to Delhi CM and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal stands on this issue where his minister was seen at an event where Hindus were converted to Buddhism,” BJP spokesperson Harish Khurana said.

Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta said, “AAP since its formation, its leaders have been repeatedly giving wrong and condemnable statements, remarks against the country and the Hindu religion.”

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