Thursday, September 29 2005 09:58 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Jalandhar: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief K C Sudarshan yesterday (Sept 28, 2005) said only Jews and Parsis should be recognised as minority communities as their ancestors migrated from outside the country.

No other community had the right to claim the minority status as most communities had their origin in India only, he told reporters here.

"Since 99 per cent ancestors of Muslims and Christians have been born and brought up in India and are just converts, these two communities should not be given minority status," Sudarshan, on a three-day visit to Punjab, said.

On forced conversion, he said, "We are against it."

To a question whether RSS considered Sikhs and Christians as minority communities, Sudershan said, " I have already expressed my opinion on the issue."

Asked if he still stood by his earlier statement made in Amritsar last year that Sikhs were not a separate community, he denied having said that.