After Waqf Bill, Christians are RSS target, says Rahul Gandhi

The Waqf Amendment Bill passed on Friday sets a precedent for the Union government and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to turn their attention to Christians, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday.

Citing a report by The Telegraph about an online article published by Organiser, the official publication of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Gandhi said on social media: “It didn’t take long for the RSS to turn its attention to Christians.”

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is the parent organisation of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

The article by Organiser magazine titled “Who has more land in India? The Catholic Church vs. Waqf Board debate”, claimed that the land holding of Catholic institutions in the country was seven crore hectares, describing it as “the largest non-governmental land owner”.

The article, published online on April 3, is no longer accessible.

A waqf is a property dedicated to a religious, educational or charitable cause under Islamic law. Each state has a waqf board led by a legal entity that is vested with the power to acquire, hold and transfer property The Waqf Amendment Bill seeks to curb the authority of waqf boards and allow greater government control over them

The article on Organiser as saying that while the waqf board owns significant land parcels across various states, it does not surpass the holdings of the Catholic Church in...

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