The Waqf Amendment Bill passed on Friday sets a precedent for the Union government and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to turn their attention to Christians, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday.

Citing a report by The Telegraph about an online article published by Organiser, the official publication of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Gandhi said on social media: “It didn’t take long for the RSS to turn its attention to Christians.”

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is the parent organisation of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

The article by Organiser magazine titled “Who has more land in India? The Catholic Church vs. Waqf Board debate”, claimed that the land holding of Catholic institutions in the country was seven crore hectares, describing it as “the largest non-governmental land owner”.

The article, published online on April 3, is no longer accessible.

A waqf is a property dedicated to a religious, educational or charitable cause under Islamic law. Each state has a waqf board led by a legal entity that is vested with the power to acquire, hold and transfer property The Waqf Amendment Bill seeks to curb the authority of waqf boards and allow greater government control over them

The article on Organiser as saying that while the waqf board owns significant land parcels across various states, it does not surpass the holdings of the Catholic Church in India”.

The New Indian Express quoted the article as claiming that the Catholic Church of India owns around 17.29 crore acres of land, which it estimated was valued at around Rs 20,000 crore.

“Many reports suggest that Church-run schools and hospitals lure economically disadvantaged individuals by providing free or low-cost services, and in turn, pressure them to convert to Christianity,” the article further alleged, according to The New Indian Express.

In 1965, the Indian government declared that lands leased by the British government would no longer be Church property, but weak enforcement has left some ownership issues unresolved, The Telegraph quoted the article as saying.

Citing the article, Gandhi alleged on Saturday that the Waqf Amendment Bill had set a precedent for the Centre to attack other religions.

“The Constitution is the only shield that protects our people from such attacks – and it is our collective duty to defend it,” the Congress leader said.

In a similar vein, Kerala Chief Minister and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Pinarayi Vijayan said that the article in the Organiser laid bare the Sangh Parivar’s “deep-rooted antagonism” towards minorities.

“Though later withdrawn, it reveals a deliberate, step-by-step attempt to target and isolate minorities and their institutions,” Vijayan said. “Secular forces must unite in resistance.”

The 2024 Waqf Amendment Bill proposes amendments to 44 sections of the 1995 Waqf Act, including allowing non-Muslims on waqf boards, restricting property donations and changing how waqf tribunals function.

The Janata Dal (United) and Telugu Desam Party, both allies of the BJP, supported the bill.

The Congress and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen have challenged the constitutionality of the bill in the court.

Before the bill was passed, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had highlighted, quoting a press release, that Christian organisations such as the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India were supporting the contentious legislation.