A member of parliament from India’s Andhra Pradesh State has alleged that Christian missionaries use money for religious conversion, a claim rejected by church leaders and activists.

Raghu Ramkrishna Raju, the minister who represents the southern state, claimed in a television debate on May 25 that Christian missionaries are pumping large sums of money to carry out widespread conversions in the state.

“The Catholic Church in Andhra Pradesh or in any part of the country does not promote or propagate religious conversion as claimed by the minister. From time to time, some people accuse Christians of religious conversion. Let them prove it,” Father Anthoniraj Thumma, executive secretary of the Federation of Telugu Churches, told UCA News.

“It is a baseless and misleading claim and there is no truth to it. Churches are involved in education, medical and social work, and there are incidents when some people may be attracted to Christianity, but that does not mean they are converted.

“The Holy Father and the Vatican Council II document clearly state that one’s faith is a matter of consent. It should not be forced on anybody.”

Father Thumma is also regional director of the Commission for Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue of Hyderabad Archdiocese.

Raju claimed that conversions in the state were not a recent phenomenon after Jagan Mohan Reddy, its Christian chief minister, assumed office but were taking place long before, adding that proselytization was prevalent across India.

Raju, who is part of the ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party in the state, claimed Christian missionaries receive foreign funding to carry out mass conversions nationwide.