Hindu Makkal Katchi, a Hindu political outfit and Chennai based Vedic Science Research Centre charged on Wednesday that the conversion of Dalits to Islam at Vedaranyam and Karoor are being masterminded by a political party and supported by agencies which are getting foreign funds.
“This is part of an international conspiracy. The local administration is hand in glove with the proselytisers operating at Vedaranyam and Karoor,” Rama Ravi Kumar, general secretary, Hindu Makkal Katchi, told The Pioneer over telephone from Vedaranyam. Ravi Kumar has been camping at Vedaranyam and discussing with Dalit leaders and local community representatives to resolve the impasse.
Ravi Kumar and N Senthil (union secretary, VCK, a Dalit political outfit) said no Dalits in Vedaranyam have converted to Islam though the leaders of Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamath had visited the village and distributed beautifully printed Holy Quran to the villagers.
Senthil said if the district administration fails to meet the demand of the Dalits that they should be given the rights to offer prayers in the Bhadrakali Amman Temple during the five day festival, then they would seriously consider of embracing Islam.
“What is the point in continuing as a Hindu when you are discriminated against and denied the right to offer prayers in the templeIJ The TNTJ leaders had told us to read the Quran and understand the religion before getting converted,” said Senthil. Abdul Rahman, TNTJ had told The Pioneer that six families had already converted to Islam and 50 Dalit youths have come forward to convert to Islam.
Senthil said the Bhadrakali Amman temple stood on land belonging to the Dalits though they do not have any documentary evidence. But the executive officer of the temple said there was no mention of it in the local history and hence could not be believed.
Ravi Kumar said the local administration was behaving strangely and has not taken any initiative to sort out the issues through discussions. “In fact the local police and government officials were preventing me from meeting the Dalit leaders. There is no issues here which could not be sorted out through discussion ,” said Ravi Kumar.
Ramakrishnan Gautaman of Vedic Science Research Centre said the Vedaranyam temple belonged to the Vellalar community, one of the caste Hindu groups in Tamil Nadu. “The trouble erupted following the decimation of the Dalit political outfits in the recent assembly elections. They do not have representation in lok Sabha or assembly. Their only hope is the upcoming local body election. It is with the local body election in mind the Dalit leaders are fomenting trouble here,” said Gautaman,.