Kerala CM, Rahul flag ‘targeting’ of churches after passage of Waqf Bill

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday voiced alarm over the potential targeting of the Catholic church, following the passage of the Waqf Amendment Bill in Parliament.

The Kerala CM raised concerns over the “unnecessary and untimely mention” of the Church’s property in an article by the ‘Organizer’, mouthpiece of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

The article allegedly compared the land holdings of the Catholic Church and the Waqf Board. However, the article was later withdrawn from the website. Vijayan said the article gave ‘negative signals’ and revealed the ‘true mindset’ of the RSS, despite the article being taken down from the Organizer’s website.

“It should be understood from the article in the RSS mouthpiece, Organizer, that the Sangh Parivar is targeting the Catholic Church after the passage of the Waqf Amendment Bill in Parliament, which violates the constitutional rights of Muslim minorities,” he said.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the Waqf Bill could set a dangerous precedent beyond its impact on the Muslim community. He said the RSS wasted no time in turning its attention to the Christians, while sharing a media article on the Organizer’s article on X. “I had said that the Waqf Bill attacks Muslims now but sets a precedent to target other communities in the future. It didn’t take long for the RSS to turn its attention to Christians,” Gandhi said.

Emphasising the Constitution’s role, he said, “The Constitution is the only shield that protects our people from such attacks — and it is our collective duty to defend it.”

India