Congress slams BJP over attack on priests, citing 'systematic hatred'

The Congress on Thursday lambasted the BJP government over the latest assault of two Christian priests in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur, while calling it a "systematic hatred" being unleashed on minorities to impose a "divisive agenda."

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Congress national general secretary KC Venugopal, taking to social media over the incident, said, "It's just another day in Modified India.  The brutal attack on Christian priests in Jabalpur is not an isolated incident; it's a reflection of the ruling regime's agenda of spreading hatred and dividing people on religious lines."

In the latest incident, a mob assaulted and attacked the priests reportedly in front of police when they arrived at the station to assist some indigenous pilgrims on March 31 in Jabalpur.

It is said that the tribal Christians had been taken to the police station, detained, and accused of religious conversion activities. Nearly 50 pilgrims, including women and children from tribal-dominated Mandla district, were on a pilgrimage to visit several churches in Jabalpur, some 100 kilometers from their homes, as part of Lenten activities.

When the pilgrims' chartered bus arrived at a church in Ranjhi, some Hindu activists took the bus keys and drove them to a police station, accusing them of violating the state's stringent anti-conversion law.

Commenting on the latest incident, senior Congress leader Venugopal said the violence against Christians has been on an alarming rise, with over 840 incidents reported last year alone. Venugopal said that when Opposition MPs tried to raise this in Parliament, they were silenced once again.

"In protest, we walked out and protested in front of Parliament. This is not just a fight for justice; it's a fight against the systematic hatred being unleashed on minorities to impose a deeply divisive agenda. We will stand united against this assault on India's secular fabric," he said.