Former RSS leader’s remarks on St. Francis Xavier spark tension in Goa; Rahul Gandhi slams BJP, RSS

In the wake of former RSS Goa unit chief Subhash Velingkar’s remarks that a DNA test of the relics of St. Francis Xavier should be conducted, Rahul Gandhi accused the RSS and BJP of disrupting communal harmony

Protests erupted in Goa on Sunday over the remarks of Subhash Velingkar, the former Goa unit chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), on Catholic missionary St. Francis Xavier.

The Christian community took to the streets demanding his arrest. Mr. Velingkar had recently remarked that a DNA test of the relics of St. Francis Xavier should be conducted.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi, on Sunday slammed the RSS, the ruling government, and the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) accusing them of disrupting communal harmony. “Goa’s appeal lies in its natural beauty and the warmth and hospitality of its diverse and harmonious people. Unfortunately, under BJP rule, this harmony is under attack. The BJP is deliberately stoking communal tensions, with a former RSS leader provoking Christians and Sangh organisations calling for an economic boycott of Muslims,” Mr. Gandhi said in his post on X.

Across India, similar actions by the Sangh Parivar continue with impunity, backed by support from the highest levels, he said. “In Goa, the BJP’s strategy is clear: divide the people while exploiting ecologically sensitive areas by illegally converting green land and bypassing environmental regulations — an assault on Goa’s natural and social heritage. BJP’s attempts will not go unchallenged. The people of Goa and the whole of India see through this divisive agenda and are standing united,” Mr. Gandhi said.

Girish Chodankar, former president of Goa Pradesh Congress committee, told The Hindu that this is not the first time the former RSS chief has made hurtful remarks against St. Francis Xavier, who is considered Goencho Saib (protector of Goa). “The ruling party, the BJP, is trying to polarise Goans but they must realise that secularism is in the blood of Goans, it is not going to work. The signal is very clear, the BJP is targeting Muslims and Christians for their political agenda.”

On Sunday, people gathered on the streets since morning to protest. They also presented a memorandum at the local police station demanding Mr. Velingkar be externed till the decennial exposition of the sacred relics of St. Francis Xavier gets over. The exposition, which is scheduled to happen from November 21, 2024, to January 5, 2025, is a significant religious and cultural event that attracts thousands of pilgrims from around the world. The relics are preserved at the Basilica of Bom Jesus at Old Goa.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) state unit president, Amit Palekar, said, “Don’t let the peace and harmony of the State be disturbed. We have lived in peace for ages, and that should not be destroyed.”

On Saturday, police resorted to lathi charge to disperse protestors from the streets.

In a statement issued on Saturday evening, the Council for Social Justice and Peace (CSJP) executive secretary Fr. Savio Fernandes said that the Goan Catholic community condemns the insulting and derogatory remarks made by Subhash Velingkar against St. Francis Xavier.

He said it has deeply hurt the religious sentiments of not only the Catholics who venerate St. Francis Xavier as a saint but also of so many from other faiths who revere the saint for the numerous favours they have received in their lives after praying to him. “We appeal to the concerned government authorities to take necessary strict action as per the prevalent law against Subhash Velingkar for trying to disrupt the communal harmony in Goa by deliberately and mischievously putting one community against the other,” he said.

In the letter, Fr. Fernandes further said, “There are burning issues threatening the environment, the demography and future of Goa which demand the immediate attention of authorities and which the people of Goa have been unanimously raising these days.”

Published - October 06, 2024 12:14 pm IST