Daijiworld Media Network – Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 5: The publication and subsequent withdrawal of an article in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) mouthpiece concerning the land holdings of the Catholic Church and the Waqf Board has ignited a wave of condemnation from prominent political figures in Kerala. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Congress President K. Sudhakaran, and others have criticized what they perceive as the RSS's deep-seated bias against minority communities.
The controversy erupted shortly after the article's appearance, prompting Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, to express concerns that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was shifting its focus from Muslims to Christians. This followed the Parliament's passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, during which opposition MPs alleged that the government was targeting Waqf properties and would subsequently target other minority groups.
Chief Minister Vijayan, currently attending the CPI-M's 24th Party Congress in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, voiced his concerns on X (formerly Twitter). "The article in the RSS mouthpiece @eOrganiser about the Church's ownership of land, published soon after the Waqf Amendment Act was passed, lays bare the Sangh Parivar’s deep-rooted antagonism towards minorities. Though later withdrawn, it reveals a deliberate, step-by-step attempt to target and isolate minorities and their institutions. Secular forces must unite in resistance," he wrote.
Congress President K. Sudhakaran, in a statement, denounced the RSS mouthpiece for publishing baseless articles that he characterized as "spitting communal venom." "The article points out that after the government, it’s the Catholic church which holds the maximum land and fixed assets, and then only the Waqf assets come. This mouthpiece is one which puts out utterly baseless reports, and there was one which said that Congress MP Benny Behanan has resigned in protest over the Congress opposing the Waqf Bill. Fail to understand why such baseless reports are put out," Sudhakaran, also a Lok Sabha member, questioned.
Congress General Secretary, Organisation, K.C. Venugopal, asserted that the article clearly indicated a shift in focus from Muslims to Christians. "It has reached a stage where ‘vested interests’ have a game plan to see that the Hindus, Muslims, and Christians in Kerala take on one another. Just see what has happened to the Empuraan film, when nothing happened to those who were behind films like Kashmir Files and Kerala Story," Venugopal said, referencing the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on the residence and office of "Empuraan" co-producer Gokulam Gopalan.
Notably, the Catholic Church has chosen to remain silent on the matter.