Congress targets RSS over article, says it exposes their 'anti-Christian stance'
Thiruvananthapuram(PTI): The Congress on Sunday condemned the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), accusing the powerful Hindu nationalist group of displaying an "anti-Christian stance" following an article critical of the minority community in its Malayalam publication.
The ulterior motive behind the recent article that appeared on "Kesari" is to once again spread hatred in society and to portray Christians as the enemy of the country in the name of religious conversion, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal alleged.
In a hard-hitting statement, the Congress leader sought to know whether the BJP was prepared to reject the stance against the minority community that was adopted by the RSS in the article.
Taking a dig at the right-wing group, Venugopal alleged that the Sangh Parivar's professed love for Christians was as fake as the 'blue fox' of fable- -which cannot stop howling, no matter how much it is painted.
"The RSS, which has become accustomed to spewing venom against minorities, is declaring (through the article) that it will continue its practice until its last breath," he alleged.
The article further exposed the right-wing outfit's "anti-Christian stance", he alleged.
Referring to the recent arrest and release of two Catholic nuns from the state in Chhattisgarh, Venugopal said the true faces of those who went and took photos with them, including the state BJP chief, have been revealed through this article.
He urged the people of the state to be vigilant against the blind "anti-minority" sentiments of Sangh Parivar organisations.
The Congress's criticism against the RSS came two days after an article, penned by E S Biju, the state vice president of the right wing outfit Hindu Aikyavedi, appeared in "Kesari".
In the article titled "Aagola Mathaparivarthanathinte Nalvazhikal" (The timeline of global religious conversion), the writer targets the Christian community over alleged religious conversions that have happened in the country over these years.
Pointing out the recent incident of the arrest of two Catholic nuns from Kerala in Chhattisgarh, alleging religious conversion and human trafficking, the article alleged that the political and religious leadership in the state tried to foster "religious and emotional conflict with a specific agenda" in connection with the incident.
"It questions the essence of the Indian Constitution. The current situation in the state is that there is one justice for minority religions and another for the majority," the article said, adding that the rules of the country are equal for everyone.
If conversion is the right of religious forces, resistance against it is the right and duty of Hindus, it further pointed out.
The article said that the current "strange situation" in the country must be changed, which requires the amendment of the Constitution.
"The demand today is that religious conversion should be banned by law to ensure protection for the entire population of the country," the Kesari article added.
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Trump says he called off dispatching envoys to Iran talks
Dubai (PTI): US President Donald Trump said he told his top envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner not to travel to Pakistan to negotiate with Iran, stating on Fox News that "they can call us any time they want”.
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country won't negotiate while the United States imposes a blockade on its ports. Pezeshkian told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a phone call Saturday night that the US “should first remove operational obstacles, including the blockade,” to allow a new round of negotiations, according to the ISNA and Tasnim news agencies in Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Pakistan on Saturday evening, two Pakistani officials told The Associated Press. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said Araghchi is expected back in Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Sunday.
Trump said Thursday that Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah by three weeks after talks at the White House. The meeting was the second high-level negotiation between the two countries this month. The initial 10-day ceasefire had been due to expire Monday.
The Trump administration is placing economic sanctions on a major China-based oil refinery and roughly 40 shipping companies and tankers involved in transporting Iranian oil.
The move announced Friday is part of the administration's threat to impose secondary sanctions on entities doing business with Iran in an effort to cut off Iran's oil exports, which are a key source of its revenue.
Airlines worldwide have begun cancelling flights as the war in the Middle East strains jet fuel supplies and pushes up prices. Experts have offered information to travelers about what to do if a flight is cancelled.
Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country won't negotiate while the United States imposes a blockade on its ports, according to Iranian media.
Pezeshkian told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a phone call Saturday night that the US “should first remove operational obstacles, including the blockade”, to allow a new round of negotiations, the ISNA and Tasnim news agencies reported.
The Pakistani premier described the call as a “warm and constructive discussion”.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi concluded a one-day trip to Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Saturday after meeting with Pakistani military and government officials.
The trip did not produce a breakthrough in efforts to relaunch negotiations after US President Donald Trump canceled a planned trip by his envoys to Islamabad.
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will return to Pakistan after his current visit to Oman on his way to visiting Russia.
The report said he was expected to be back in Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Sunday and would join other members of his delegation who had gone to Tehran for consultations and “instructions on the topics related to the end of the war.”
