Agence France Press
JHABUA, INDIA, April 18, 2004: Elections have intensified conflict between Christians and Hindus in this remote tribal area, according to the article by Agence France Press wire service. In one notable section, it says, “Some Hindu nationalists openly campaign against Christian missionaries, who they argue are altering the historic religious makeup of India through conversions. ‘In five years, I will have these meddlesome Catholic missionaries packing their bags and leaving Jhabua,’ Kalsingh Bhabor, a local member of the state legislature from Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), told an election rally. ‘They are here to “buy” Adivasi souls,’ said Bhabor, referring to tribal people. ‘It is their one-point agenda to convert the tribals to Christians. The social work is a cover.’ In its election platform, the BJP has promised to tighten laws ‘prohibiting conversion by force or allurement’ across India. According to officials, there are 1.4 million Adivasis living in Madhya Pradesh’s Jhabua, Ratlam, Mandsaur and Neemach districts and in all of them Catholic missionaries have a strong presence.”