New Delhi: Taking strong offence to comments made by Pope Benedict XVI on religious intolerance in India, BJP and RSS today called his remarks irrelevant.
They added that it exposed his "ignorance" about Indian traditions and laws.
"The Pope's remarks on religious freedom are not relevant to India. There is much more freedom here than in many countries," BJP Spokesman Prakash Javadekar said.
"Freedom of religion does not mean conversions by coercion and allurements," he added.
Asserting that State Assemblies had the power to enact such legislations, he said, "Such laws are not against conversion by conviction but if people convert en masse, motives have to be there".
RSS National Executive Member Ram Madhav reacting to the Pope’s comments said, "The Pope is ignorant of Indian traditions and laws."
"Religious freedom does not include freedom to convert people of other religions using force, fraud or allurements," he explained.
“Missionaries in India have converted their religion into a commodity and are indulging in its shameless marketing," Madhav said.
Slamming the Pope's reported remarks such as "crass interference in the domestic affairs of India", he said, "Before preaching to the Indian Government, let the Pope allow religious freedom in Vatican City.
"People living in glass houses better not attempt to throw stones at others," Madhav said.
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