Hindus, Sikhs being denied religious rights in several countries: Praveen Togadia

Hoshiarpur (Punjab), Dec 23 (PTI) Former Vishva Hindu Parishad leader Praveen Togadia on Tuesday alleged that Hindus and Sikhs were being denied religious rights in several parts of the world and called upon them to raise their voice against such incidents.

At a press conference here, he referred to an incident in New Zealand's Auckland last week, and alleged that a Sikh religious procession was stopped after locals took to the streets and disrupted it.

He alleged that while celebrations such as Christmas and Eid were allowed globally, Hindus and Sikhs were often prevented from organising religious programmes in some countries, claimed the founder president of AntarRashtriya Hindu Parishad.

Togadia said Hindus and Sikhs around the world should raise their voice against "denial of religious freedom" and demanded that a religious procession be organised again in Auckland.

He also urged the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre to exert diplomatic pressure on New Zealand over alleged violation of the religious rights of the Sikhs.

Raising concern over "declining Hindu and Sikh population", Togadia claimed that "demographic imbalance" had emerged as the biggest challenge for the two communities. The Hindu and Sikh population was steadily declining in India, and it posed a serious social and national concern, he claimed.

The former VHP leader also alleged that a large number of Bangladeshi immigrants were staying in India illegally and called for their identification and deportation.

He further claimed that Hindus were facing atrocities in Bangladesh and urged the Indian government to take firm diplomatic and economic measures to ensure their safety.

About the AntarRashtriya Hindu Parishad, Togadia said that it organised round-the-clock community kitchens at last year's Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj for nearly one-and-a-half months, feeding over one crore people.

He said the organisation was promoting collective recitation of Hanuman Chalisa every Tuesday and Saturday across villages and cities and claimed that over 30,000 Hanuman Chalisa centres had been set up nationwide, with around 500 such centres functioning in Punjab alone. PTI COR SUN NSD NSD