Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janata Party's Minority Morcha condemned the statement by party MLA Gopichand Padalkar, wherein he reportedly offered a reward of Rs 11 lakh to anyone who kills a Christian missionary involved in religious conversion.
Agnelo Fernandes, general secretary of the Mumbai BJP Minority Morcha, termed the statement as highly irresponsible, dangerous, and clarified that the remarks made by Padalkar were his personal views and do not reflect the official position of the party.
The BJP Minority Morcha said they have formally written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking their intervention and appropriate action on the matter.
“We strongly disassociate ourselves from Mr. Padalkar’s statement. As a Christian myself and representative of the Minority Morcha, I can say with conviction that the Christian community in India does not support forced religious conversions. While we acknowledge that there may be a few individuals or fringe groups acting for personal gain, it is both unfair and dangerous to paint the entire community with the same brush,” said Fernandes who asked Padalkar to engage with the Christian community to better understand their values and contributions.
“I intend to personally meet Mr. Padalkar to express the concerns of the community and convey how such statements hurt the social fabric of our nation,” Fernandes added.
Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary, Jojo Thomas, said there is widespread discontent in the state due to the government's inaction in taking legal measures against Padalkar's hate speech.
Padalkar made the remarks at a public event in Sangli on June 17. "An elected representative who has taken an oath on the Indian Constitution, encouraging people to take the law into their own hands by flouting the fundamental tenets of the Constitution, is a challenge to democracy. His speech constitutes a violation of fundamental rights guaranteed by Articles 14, 15, 25, and 26 of the Indian Constitution. Furthermore, it is an offense punishable under Sections 153A, 295A, and 505 of the Indian Penal Code," Thomas pointed out.
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