National

Pope's remarks uncalled for, says RSS

By J.V. Siva Prasanna Kumar

KANYAKUMARI JULY 6. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh national executive, at its concluding session here today, adopted a resolution taking exception to the remarks of Pope John Paul II that the right to religious freedom was prohibited in India. Terming this an `uncalled for interference' in India's internal affairs, it urged the Centre to lodge a protest with the Pope.

Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Arunachal Pradesh had promulgated laws banning forced conversions some time ago while Tamil Nadu and Gujarat joined them recently. All these States had acted in the best interests of the country and hence deserved commendation, the resolution said. It was high time the remaining States enacted similar laws, it added.

Condemning the killing of eight Hindu fishermen in the coastal village of Marad in Kerala's Kozhikode district on May 2, it alleged that the massacre was well-planned. Describing as `unfortunate' the Kerala Government's `failure to rise to the occasion' due to the pressure mounted by the Muslim League, a partner in the ruling UDF coalition in the State, the resolution endorsed the demand by various organisations for an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation to bring to light the `true facts' about the massacre. The Government was duty-bound to provide adequate compensation to the families of the victims, it said. The resolution stressed the need to strengthen the Coast Guard.

Islamic fundamentalists were strengthening their base in south India and in the Northeast, and there was increased infiltration from Bangladesh, it said. The resolution exhorted the Centre to send a high-power committee to the Northeast to take stock of the `serious situation' prevailing there.

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