Rahul Gandhi, the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition, has accused the RSS of targeting Christians purportedly after the Waqf Amendment Bill was passed. This came after a report in the RSS-affiliated magazine Organiser that stated Catholic institutions in India own 7 crore hectares of land, making them the largest non-government landowners.
The article, which was titled "Who has more land in India? The Catholic Church vs Waqf Board debate," was removed from the website after generating controversy.
Gandhi cautioned that the Waqf Bill opens the door to attack other minority groups and said, "It didn't take long for the RSS to turn its attention to Christians." He pointed out that the only protection for minorities against such attacks is the Constitution and urged everyone to come together to defend it. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also criticized the article and saw it as part of a larger game plan to isolate minorities.
Controversy points to increasing tensions between opposition parties and the RSS regarding minority rights and issues of land ownership.
