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WORLD September 14, 1999 VNN4721 Comment on this story US Criticises BJP, RSS FROM TIMES OF INDIA INDIA, Sep 14 (VNN) — Times of India - 10 September 1999 US criticises BJP, RSS By T V Parasuram WASHINGTON: The United States through a state department survey on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the BJP, the RSS and "other Hindu organisations" for their attitude towards religious conversion and non-Hindus. The global survey on religious freedom like the one on human rights is mandated by the congress. The survey, however, does not hold the Union government but some of the militant organisations responsible for the recent attacks on Christians and Muslims and obstacles to religious conversions by Christian missionaries. It acknowledges that the constitution of India provides for freedom of religion and that the government respects this right in practice. It finds, "Tension between Muslims and Hindus and to a lesser extent between Hindus and Christians continues to pose a challenge to the concepts of secularism, tolerance and diversity on which the state was founded. In addition, governments at the state and local levels only partially respect religious freedom." The report says that the BJP, which headed a coalition government is an "offshoot" of the RSS, which "espouses a return to Hindu values and cultural norms." "Members of the BJP, the RSS and other affiliated organisations have been implicated in incidents of violence and discrimination against Christians and Muslims. "The BJP and the RSS express respect and tolerance for other religions, but the RSS in particular opposes conversions from Hinduism and believes all Indians should adhere to Hindu cultural values. The BJP officially agrees that the caste system should be eradicated but many of its members are ambivalent about this, " the report said. "Most BJP leaders, including Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee and home minister L.K. Advani, are also RSS members, as are the chief ministers of the state governments in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, " it said. (PTI) Comment on this story  Contact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
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