A recent article in the RSS mouthpiece publication Organizer flagged the ‘questionable’ acquisition of Church lands in India and the same has become a discourse with the latest developments surrounding government making legislations on religion based properties in India. The article appeared on the web portal of the publication on Friday, a day after both houses of Parliament successfully passed the controversial Waqf (Amendment) Bill. 

The article by the BJP’s ideological arm claimed that Catholic institutions are the largest non-governmental landowners in India, which stand at 7 crore hectares. “The total estimated value of these properties is around ₹20,000 crore, making the Church a significant player in India’s real estate landscape,” the article titled “Who has more land in India? The Catholic Church vs Waqf Board debate” noted.

Read Also: Munambam Dispute, Waqf Bill And BJP’s Fawning Over Christian Community

The article then alleged that most of the land acquired by the Catholic Church was during the British period, highlighting that much of it had been obtained through “questionable means”. It further drew the ruling BJP government’s attention to a 1965 circular to take over land leased to the Church that failed due to poor enforcement.

The article pointed out that the government had issued a circular ruling that any land granted on lease by the British government would no longer be recognized as Church property. However, the legitimacy of certain Church-owned lands remains unresolved due to the lax enforcement of this directive, the RSS mouthpiece claimed.

Read Also: Congress To Challenge Waqf (Amendment) Bill In Supreme Court

Notably, the BJP was able to draw support from a section of the Christian community, especially the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council, to the Waqf Amendment Bill, appearing as the protector of minority rights. The contentious bill had sought sweeping changes to the 1995 Waqf Act to give the government significant powers to regulate waqf properties and settle disputes. After the article stirred up debate, the RSS has taken down the article from its web portal.

However, after the passage of the Waqf Bill, Christian religious properties appear to be the next target of the right-wing groups. The article cited the Government Land Information website, as of February 2021, stating that the Indian government owned approximately 15,531 square kilometers of land… While the Waqf board does own significant land parcels across various states, it does not surpass the holdings of the Catholic Church in India.

Sharing the article, an X user, Neha wrote, “First muslims, next will be Christians, followed by Adivasis, Dalits, BCs and finally all rightfully thinking citizens “Lagegi aag to aayenge ghar kai zad me Yahan pe sirf humara makan thodi hai.”

First muslims, next will be Christians, followed by Adivasis, Dalits, BCs and finally all rightfully thinking citizens

“Lagegi aag to aayenge ghar kai zad me
Yahan pe sirf humara makan thodi hai” pic.twitter.com/GmnxrQrxTd

— Neha (@NehaKoppula) April 5, 2025

The BJP and RSS have historically targeted Christian missionaries for alleged religious conversion drives. Several hate incidents have been reported from the northern part of India targeting Christians and priests in the past few years. Currently, the saffron camp is trying to woo the Christian community in the southern states, especially Kerala, to make inroads in state politics with political gimmicks.