Rahul Gandhi. File
| Photo Credit: ANI
Organiser, the English mouthpiece of Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) has pulled down a recent article on comparison of the land owned by Catholic churches and Waqf board. The withdrawal happened as the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi alleged that after Muslims, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to go after Christians.
This came at a time when the Narendra Modi government has just managed a successful passage of the Waqf (amendment) Bill 2025 which proposes significant changes in regulation of Waqf properties, inalienable charitable endowment under Islamic law meant for the uplift and benefit of the community. The new Bill has given powers to States to decide on Waqf land and made provisions that tribal and archaeological lands will not be under Waqf anymore.
Opposition MPs during the debate on Waqf (amendment) Bill-2025, both in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, had contended that with this legislation the government is targeting the Waqf properties and they, soon enough, will shift the focus towards other communities including Christians. The Waqf Bill was also supported by Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council.
Catholic Churches V/s Waqf
The article titled ‘who has more land in India? The Catholic Churches Vs Waqf Board debate’, claimed that the land owned by Catholic Churches of India is more than 7 crore hectares which it said is the “the largest non-governmental land owner.”
Drawing the BJP lead Central Government’s attention towards the issue, the articles claimed that the total estimated value of the Catholic church properties is around ₹20,000 crore, making the Church a significant player in India’s real estate landscape, more than the Waqf Board.
“For many years, there has been a common belief that the Waqf Board is the second-largest landowner in India after the government. However, this claim does not align with the actual data on land ownership in the country. The Catholic Church of India holds the distinction of being the largest non-governmental landowner, possessing vast tracts of land spread across the country,” the articles reads that cited the data from the Government Land Information website.
Opposition slammed BJP
Slamming the ‘motive’ of the article, which he claimed is a fine example describing the ‘precedent’ of BJP to target other minorities, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said he had already warned people of the same.
“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. The Constitution is the only shield that protects our people from such attacks – and it is our collective duty to defend it,” he wrote on social media platform X.
Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, also slammed the RSS mouthpiece for publishing a “highly deplorable” article.
“During the time of the passing of the Waqf Bill, the Congress and Rahul Gandhi mentioned that the next step will be against the Christians. The article clearly mentions that the Catholic community in India is having seven crore acres in their hands. That means 17.29 crore acres are with them, and according to them, that property is worth ₹20,000 crore. Through the Waqf Bill, they want to control the Waqf properties, and the next step will be to control the properties that are owned by the Catholic community in India,” he said.
Reacting to the controversy, Editor of the Magazine, Prafull Ketkar said the the article was ‘an old story’, revived after the Waqf Bill.
“To unable to address the Christian exodus from the Congress owing to the stand on Waqf Bill and facing Muslim wrath on Priyanka not voting on the Bill, the Congress is trying to play around a fear mongering by Media,” he added.
He also asked Mr. Gandhi to instead of getting carried away by the old story, the LoP should address the Munambam issue, which according to him is the epicentre of a long-standing agitation of villagers against the Kerala Waqf Board.
“The Waqf Board claims ownership of more than 400 acres of land that the villagers say they have lived on and cultivated for generations. The residents, who have been protesting for 175 days, accuse the board of attempting to usurp their land under provisions of the Waqf Act,” an article in the Organiser says.
Published – April 05, 2025 03:43 pm IST