Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) president K Therie on Friday condemned the alleged attack on churches in Karnataka on December 1.
Therie said the Hindu organisations cracked down on multiple churches on the first day of the month of Christmas on December 1.
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He said the attack on 14 churches in various places in the state in a span of one hour was premeditated.
In a release, the NPCC chief expressed dismay that national Hindu organisations of Bajrang Dal and Shri Ram Sena have been allegedly attacking Christians and churches in a well-premeditated plan since 2008.
“I condemn the action of BJP’s organs, and the attitude and action of Karnataka government for its bias and ill will against the Christian society,” he said.
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He said though the BJP’s various organs allege forced conversions, the Christian population in India has not grown from 2.3% since Independence. He added that anti-conversion laws were also brought in by the BJP-ruled states.
He also alleged that persecutions of Christians continue in Karnataka. To substantiate his point, Therie said the door-to-door search for Christians, arrest of a pastor and locking him up with devotees, Sangh Parivar barging inside a church singing Bhajans, police giving friendly warnings to Christians and not to Sangh Parivar, the BJP government withdrawing 23 cases of attacks on churches and attacks on Christians allegedly in retaliation for bogus forced conversions are some examples of persecution of Christians in the state.
He quoted media reports that forced conversion is weak evidence.
Stating that religion is an acceptance of an individual’s inner heart, Therie said by doing so, no individual has offended any religion nor the Constitution of India.
According to him, every Christian who believes in Christ and has faith would surely admit that the Karnataka government is committing wrong.
“As a Christian state, it is shameful to have a government that is alien to the persecution of Christians,” Therie said in an apparent reference to the Nagaland government of which the BJP is a partner.