Kerala CM Vijayan, Congress's Rahul Gandhi raise concerns over targeting of Catholic churches after passage of Waqf Bill

New Delhi [India], April 5 (ANI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday voiced alarm over the targeting of the Catholic Churches following the passage of the Waqf Act Amendment Bill in Parliament.
In a statement, the Kerala CM raised concern over the "unnecessary and untimely mention" of the Church's property in an article by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) mouthpiece, the "Organizer", noting that it gives "negative signals" and gives 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 Act Amendment Bill in Parliament, which violates the constitutional rights of Muslim minorities," Vijayan said.
"The unnecessary and untimely mention of the Church's property gives some negative signals. Although the article was withdrawn from the Organizer website, what has come out is the true mindset of the RSS. The extremely intense anti-religious sentiment of the majority communalism put forward by the Sangh Parivar can be seen in the article," he added.
Vijayan further noted that the passage of the Waqf Bill can be seen as part of a "grand plan to target the minority groups" one by one and "destroy them step by step" and called for a "progressive democratic secular movement" to resist against it.
Meanwhile, Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi took to X and warned about the dangerous precedent over the Waqf Bill beyond its impacts on the Muslim community. The Lok Sabha LoP said that the RSS wasted no time in turning its attention to the Christians, referring to an article by "The Telegraph" on the Organizer's article.
Gandhi stated that the passage of the bill could set a precedent to target other minority communities in the future.
"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.
He underscored the Constitution's role, adding, "The Constitution is the only shield that protects our people from such attacks--and it is our collective duty to defend it."
Parliament passed the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 in the early hours of Friday after a marathon and heated debate.
Rajya Sabha sat beyond midnight to pass the legislation. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said, "Ayes 128 and Noes 95, Absent zero. The Bill is passed." The Lok Sabha, which discussed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill on Wednesday, also passed the bill after a marathon debate.
The government introduced the revised bill after incorporating the recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee, which examined the legislation introduced in August last year. The bill seeks to amend the Act of 1995 and improve the administration and management of Waqf properties in India.
The Bill aims to overcome the shortcomings of the previous act and enhance the efficiency of Waqf boards, improving the registration process and increasing the role of technology in managing Waqf records. (ANI)