Togadia says ancestors of Indian Muslims were Hindus

VHP leader Pravin Togadia

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Pravin Togadia said ancestors of Indian Muslims and Christians were Hindus.

“The ancestors of Indian Muslims were Hindus. The ancestors of Christians were Hindu too. History says that many people converted to Islam due to atrocities and by the force of the swords of Mughal emperors,” Mr. Togadia said on Tuesday night at the golden jubilee celebration of VHP at Bhavnagar town in Gujarat.

“At present, in this India, there is no atrocity or force on Hindus. In such a situation, if someone wants to return to the Hindu society, the Hindus should accept him wholeheartedly,” added Mr. Togadia.

A controversy erupted after a right-wing group Dharma Jagran Manch had organised a reconversion ceremony naming it as

ghar wapsi and had allegedly converted about 100 people, mostly Muslim slum dwellers, through a ritual carried out by the Hindu organisation on December 8 in Agra.

This created ruckus in both Houses of Parliament as the opposition demanded a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the alleged conversion.

The main accused, Nand Kishore Balmiki, was arrested on Tuesday by Agra Police.