RSS mouthpiece Organiser's article claims Catholic Church surpasses Waqf Board in landholdings
Thiruvananthapuram: An article in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) mouthpiece Organiser has stated that the Catholic Church of India holds more land than the Waqf Board, which has long been believed to be the second-largest landowner in the country.
The article, titled "Who has more land in India? The Catholic Church vs Waqf Board Debate," as cited by The New Indian Express, challenges the commonly held view and asserts that the Catholic Church is the largest non-governmental landholder in India.
"For many years, there has been a common belief that the Waqf Board is the second largest landowner in India after the government, however, this claim does not align with the actual data on land ownership in the country. The Catholic Church of India holds the distinction of being the largest non-governmental landowner, possessing vast tracts of land spread across the country,” the article stated.
The Church is said to own approximately 17.29 crore acres (7 crore hectares) of land, with an estimated value of Rs 20,000 crore.
The article further noted the significant influence of the Catholic Church in India’s real estate landscape, listing scores of schools, hospitals, nursing colleges, and other institutions under its management. “As of 2012, the Catholic Church has 2,457 hospital dispensaries, 240 medical or nursing colleges, 28 general colleges, 5 engineering colleges, 3,765 secondary schools, 7,319 primary schools and 3,187 nursery schools in the field of education and healthcare sector in the country. Much of its land was acquired during British rule. In 1927, the British administration passed the Indian Church Act, facilitating large-scale land grants to the Church," it added.
However, the Organiser article also raised contentious issues, alleging that some of the Church's land acquisitions might have been questionable. It suggested that the Church’s charitable services, particularly in education and healthcare, could be a way of luring economically disadvantaged individuals into converting to Christianity, with some reports claiming that tribal and rural landowners were coerced into converting in exchange for Church-run services.
“Several cases have surfaced where tribal lands, once belonging to indigenous communities, were gradually transferred to Church authorities under various pretexts," the article stated.
This published write-up comes at a time when BJP leaders, particularly in Kerala, are celebrating the passing of the Waqf Amendment Bill, which they have described as a "gift" to the Munambam protesters, who are led by the Catholic Church.
Interestingly, Organiser has deleted the article after it was published.
Article deleted but RSS mouthpiece @eOrganiser forgot to delete the tweet https://t.co/CTjvIwFeor pic.twitter.com/cFIT3can5J
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Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has rejected calls for his resignation amid allegations involving his daughter’s IT firm, which is under investigation by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO). Vijayan termed the probe politically driven and stated that neither he nor the CPI(M) is concerned about the allegations.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Vijayan said, “I know you want my blood, but you won’t get it easily,” responding to criticism and speculation about his resignation. He asserted that the case is before the court and would be dealt with legally. “You can keep hoping for my resignation,” he added.
The controversy centres on alleged illegal payments made by a private mining company, CMRL, to Vijayan’s daughter’s firm. Reports indicate that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) may also register a case soon, following the Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs’ reported nod for prosecution.
Vijayan maintained that all payments received by the firm were taxed. “The media is conveniently ignoring the fact that income tax and GST were paid on those payments,” he said.
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