Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: Kerala BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar has fiercely countered allegations made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who accused the central government of targeting Catholic Church properties following the passage of the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025.
The controversy erupted after Gandhi expressed fears that the Waqf Bill could pave the way for encroaching upon properties belonging to other minority communities. Vijayan echoed similar sentiments, citing an article from the RSS-linked publication Organizer that appeared to criticize the Catholic Church. Though the article was later taken down, its contents sparked political backlash.
Chandrasekhar responded sharply on social media platform X, urging Rahul Gandhi to better understand the Constitution before making accusations. “One thing I recommend to Constitution-waving, India-bashing Rahul Gandhi is that he reads and learns the Constitution before he uses it for his Congress politics of lies,” he posted.
Defending the principle of land ownership, Chandrasekhar stated, “Owning land is not a crime—just as Railways, the Army, and plantations own land. What’s wrong is grabbing land from the public, as Congress leaders in Karnataka and the Waqf boards have tried to do.”
He further argued that the original Waqf Act passed by the Congress infringed on citizens’ property rights and alleged it was rooted in appeasement politics. “PM Narendra Modi ji’s Waqf amendment restores the rights of all Indians and ensures that Waqf land benefits poor Muslims—not wealthy Congress-linked builders or politicians,” Chandrasekhar said.
Criticizing Chief Minister Vijayan, Chandrasekhar accused him of hypocrisy. “It takes a lot of political hubris for a CM—who has wrecked the state’s economy, turned youth toward drugs, and is linked to a scandal involving funds channeled to his daughter’s IT firm—to jump on Rahul’s bandwagon. But it won’t work,” he asserted.
Rahul Gandhi, citing an article in The Telegraph, had previously warned that the Waqf Bill would set a dangerous precedent, stating, “It 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.”
Kerala CM Vijayan also remarked, “The article in the RSS mouthpiece Organizer exposes the real intention of the Sangh Parivar. Even though the article was removed, the damage and negative signal to the community has been done.”
The issue continues to stoke a fiery political debate, with the BJP defending the amendments as a step toward transparency and equality, while opposition leaders argue they undermine minority rights.
