Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Apr 5: Following the smooth passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Parliament, attention appears to be shifting to another major land-holding religious body — the Catholic Church. An article on the web portal of Organiser, a magazine affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has sparked fresh conversation by questioning the scale and legitimacy of Church land ownership across India.
In a piece titled 'Who has more land in India? The Catholic Church vs Waqf Board debate', the author compares land held by Muslim Waqf boards with that of Catholic institutions, alleging that the Church owns approximately 7 crore hectares of land — a figure it claims makes the Church the largest non-governmental landowner in the country.
According to an article in Telegraph India, the Waqf (Amendment) Bill introduces substantial modifications to the Waqf Act of 1995, giving the central government broader authority to regulate and resolve disputes concerning waqf properties — endowments set aside by Muslims for religious and charitable purposes. While the BJP government had faced criticism for allegedly attempting to centralize control over Waqf assets, support for the bill by the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council was used by the ruling party to corner the Opposition in Parliament.
The article on Organiser.org, penned by Sashank Kumar Dwivedi, appears to set the tone for similar scrutiny of Church properties. It cites government data and unnamed ‘reports’ to assert that Church land holdings may be undervalued, claiming their total estimated worth to be around Rs 20,000 crore. The piece notes that most of these properties were acquired during British rule, and in some instances, via ‘questionable means’.
It further references a 1965 government circular that attempted to revoke the Church’s claim over lands leased during colonial times. The directive, according to the article, was never adequately enforced, leaving the legal status of some Church properties uncertain.
The RSS and BJP have historically targeted Christian missionary activity, accusing it of promoting religious conversions through coercion or inducement. However, in recent years, this rhetoric has been toned down, particularly in regions like the Northeast, Goa, and Kerala, as part of the BJP’s outreach to Christian communities ahead of elections.
Now, with the Waqf law amended, the narrative emerging from RSS-linked platforms seems to be nudging the government to take a closer look at the Catholic Church’s real estate presence in India, potentially foreshadowing a new chapter in the intersection of politics, religion, and land ownership.