Mahajan told newspersons that services of Christian missionaries in the country were being used for conversions. ``Missionaries are indulging in conversions under the cover of service to the poor. How can we justify it? Even Jesus Christ would not justify the use of missionary services for religious conversion'', he said.

Mahajan said he `agreed totally' with the VHP on conversion of Hindus through `unfair means.' ``The objection of the VHP on gross misuse of services for such purposes is totally justified'', he added. According to him, there is a conspiracy to defame the Vajpayee Government at the Centre by saying that Christian missionaries are being attacked and harassed in India. ``The Gujarat reports were totallyexaggerated. It was the work of vested interests who want to malign the BJP-led Government at the Centre'', he alleged.

However, he disagreed with VHP leader Ashok Singhal that the Novel Prize to Amartya Sen was part of a Christian conspiracy to wipe out Hinduism. ``The award has made the entire nation proud'', Mahajan said, adding that both Sen and Mother Teresa were deserving candidates for the prestigious award.

Mahajan disagreed with Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray's comments that the BJP had suffered humiliating defeats in the Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi due to its deviation from Hindutva after coming to power at Centre. ``We have not deviated from our Hindutva line. However, our perception on Hindutva is totally different from what the Sena preaches'', he said. He admitted that there were serious differences between the BJP-led Government and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on economic issues, particularly the Insurance Regulatory Authority and PatentBills.

According to him, a few senior influential RSS members were in favour of India's withdrawal from the World Trade Organisation. They desired that the Vajpayee Government should not pass the Patents Bill, he said, adding, ``The government had no option but to fulfill the commitments made by its predecessors for the WTO. How can we back out?'' he asked. He added it was ``not good that members of the Sangh Parivar differed on several issues.''

The condition of ordinary members of the RSS and its allied organisations had become like that of a child benumbed by quarrels among its parents, he said.

Mahajan also felt the Government made a mistake by not consulting the BJP before introducing the IRA Bill and Patents Bill in Parliament. ``The Government should have taken the party into confidence before introducing both bills. But when some amendments were suggested by the party, the Government immediately responded and tried its level best to accommodate those recommendations in the Bill'', he said.

He,however, justified foreign participation in the insurance sector, saying competition had become necessary as there was a Life Insurance Corporation and General Insurance Corporation monopoly in the sector for several years.

Mahajan said the Right to Information Bill would be introduced in the next session of Parliament and hoped there would be no difficulty in its passage in view of the consensus it enjoyed.

The draft bill on the issue was almost ready, he said, having been discussed three times by a Cabinet sub-committee headed by Union Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani. Defence Minister George Fernandes, Union Communications Minister Jagmohan and Mahajan were other members of the committee, he said.