The Congress on Tuesday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological affiliates were targeting Christians in BJP-ruled states.
K.C. Venugopal in a post on X accused the BJP of “rabid hatred towards Christianity” and said its leaders would “go to any lengths to insult minorities in India, even if that means attacking a blind lady.”
He claimed the situation had worsened to the extent that “the state remains mum as entire villages boycott Christians from entering.”
Venugopal alleged that Christians had been attacked in an organised manner in several BJP-ruled states, naming Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Chhattisgarh and Odisha, and claimed the assaults were carried out by “Sangh Parivar goons” with the “total complicity of the ruling regime.”
He further said that RSS workers had attacked a children’s carol choir in Palakkad, Kerala, adding that the BJP was proving “day after day that it is nothing but a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
The Congress leader also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he had been “putting up a great farce for years pretending to show newfound love for Christians,” while the BJP and the Sangh Parivar continued to “reveal their true character every single time.”
Venugopal called the alleged attacks “venom and hatred” and said this was the BJP’s “gift during Christmas,” warning minorities that the party’s “parochial, hate-filled agenda cannot tolerate India’s pluralism and will relentlessly attack everyone that doesn’t fit into their hate-filled worldview.”
The statement came against the backdrop of an incident in Kerala’s Palakkad district, where an RSS worker has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a Christmas carol group comprising children.
The accused, identified as Aswin Raj, reportedly assaulted a couple of children, scared off the group and damaged a drum they were using.
According to reports, Raj, a native of Putussery in Palakkad, was travelling on a motorbike when he noticed the carol group on Sunday night.
He allegedly questioned why the name ‘CPI(M)’ was branded on the drums before attacking the children. Complainants said he was accompanied by others whom they could not identify.
The CPI(M) local leadership said the children were below 14 years of age and had no political affiliations.
They said party musical instruments are lent to children every year during the Christmas season. The damaged drum reportedly bore the writing “CPI (M) Putussery area band.”
The complainants alleged that the incident occurred around 9:00 pm on Sunday in the Surabhi Nagar area of Putussery.
Police told a Malayalam news channel that Aswin Raj is a history-sheeter and is listed under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 2007.
He has been booked under sections including attempt to murder. The incident reportedly took place in an area where the RSS-BJP enjoys influence.
The episode has unfolded amid reports of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad urging Hindus to refrain from celebrating festivals of other religions, including Christmas.
The hardliner group has claimed that Christian missionaries carry out conversions, and that the appeal to stop celebrating Christmas was aimed at preventing this.
