A recent article in Organiser, the mouthpiece of the Hindu nationalist organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has ignited a controversy by discussing the land ownership of the Catholic Church in India. The now-deleted article claimed that the Catholic Church holds a substantial amount of land, approximately 7 crore hectares, making it the “largest non-governmental land owner” in the country. It further alleged that much of this land was acquired during British rule and questioned the legitimacy of some of these holdings.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has strongly criticized the article, viewing it as a deliberate attempt to target and marginalize minority communities, particularly Christians, following the recent passage of the Waqf Amendment Bill. He stated that the “unnecessary and untimely” reference to the Church’s wealth exposes the “mindset of the Sangh Parivar” and their “extreme hatred towards other religions.” Vijayan sees this as part of a larger plan to target minorities “one by one” and called for secular forces to resist such moves.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, also condemned the article, echoing Vijayan’s concerns about a broader agenda against minorities after the Waqf Bill. He warned that the Waqf Bill could set a “dangerous precedent” for targeting other communities and highlighted the importance of upholding the Constitution as a safeguard against such attacks.
The controversy has escalated with other leaders like Congress’s Ramesh Chennithala also denouncing the article and suggesting a link between its publication and the Waqf Bill, hinting at a potential future crackdown on Christian institutions’ properties. While the Organiser has taken down the article, the controversy underscores the nature of religious land ownership in India and the concerns of minority communities about being targeted by right-wing groups.
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