Mass Conversions of Dalits to other faiths, such as Islam and Christianity, if one considers the wide-scale conversions that have occurred in India over the past forty years.
Every year, Ashoka Vijayadashami is observed on the day of Dussehra, mainly by members of the Dalit population throughout India, to remember the day when Buddhism was adopted. The custom dates back to October 14, 1956, when B.R. Ambedkar, the first law minister of independent India and an outspoken opponent of the caste system in Hindu society, accepted Buddhism in Nagpur along with thousands of other individuals.
Mass Conversions of Dalits irritate Indian Politics
The widespread Dalit mass conversions to Buddhism have enraged many Hindu organizations from Delhi in the north to Yadgir in the south. During the election campaign, an age-old discussion over caste discrimination has been rekindled by the threat of losing Dalits to another faith, and that too a public commitment to renouncing Hinduism.Â
Rajendra Pal Gautam of the Aam Aadmi Party attended a conversion event that was the most recent in a long line of similar Dalit mobilizations that Ambedkar began in 1956. Gautam’s departure from the Delhi administration, however, demonstrates that Indian politics still tense up when there are religious conversions.
A saffron-clad man gave the gathering an oath on the occasion that was very similar to the contentious 22 pledges of BR Ambedkar. The guy pushed the Hindus to break away from their ancient religion and stop worshipping idols.
“I won’t believe in Brahma, Vishnu, or Maheshwara, and I won’t worship them. He was heard declaring, “I will not believe in Rama and Krishna, who are said to be the incarnations of God, nor will I worship them.
“I do not and will not accept the idea that Lord Buddha was a Vishnu incarnation. I think this is complete nonsense and fake propaganda. In addition, I won’t be performing Shraddha or giving pind-dan,” he continued.
I will not permit Brahmins to perform any rites, the saffron-clad man added. I switch to Buddhism as my religion and forsake Hinduism, which is bad for people and hinders their growth because it is founded on inequality.
AAP Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam was seen sharing the stage with the individual and heard repeating the contentious promises throughout the ceremony.
Later, he was spotted giving a lecture in which he asked Hindus to forsake their faith and follow Dr. Ambedkar’s example. We must convey BR Ambedkar’s message to every household, Gautam remarked, “if you don’t want to be labelled a traitor.”
Why is there no caste in France, China, Korea, Australia, or New Zealand if caste was created by nature? The AAP leader demonstrated his lack of knowledge regarding social stratification and affirmative action in other countries.
Who benefited and who suffered the most from this caste system? We are now propagating the cure for this ailment that BR Ambedkar discovered,” he was overheard stating.
Rajendra Pal Gautam bemoaned the fact that BR Ambedkar passed within a month after converting to Buddhism and fell short of converting the entire country. Ambedkar, also known as Dhamma Chakra Pravartan Din, and 3,80,000 of his followers embraced Lord Buddha’s religion on October 14, 1956.
On Sunday, Gautam presented his resignation as a pastor, citing his personal attendance at that gathering. He insisted that his actions were legal and compliant with the Constitution.
Adesh Gupta, the head of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi, filed a complaint against Gautam accusing him of “provoking the general public at large against the Hindus and afterwards defaming them to provoke a riot, violence, and public disorder.”
The BJP has criticised Gautam for disrespecting Hindu deities and charged the AAP with encouraging mass conversions. The BJP has been charged with “propaganda” by Gautam.Â
The AAP and the Delhi administration have not responded to the situation. On the other hand, a government official on Friday claimed that Kejriwal was “very displeased” with Gautam.
Police stated on Monday that no case has yet been filed in relation to the incident.
