Congress Head of KC Venugopal. | Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma
The criticizing decision of the Police in Delhi to reject the permission for the Sunday parade Palm organized by the cathedral of the sacred heart in the national capital, the Secretary General of Congress (organization) KC Venugopal said it was not an “isolated incident” but “targeted discrimination”.
Mr. Venugopal wrote a letter from the Minister of the Interior of the Union Amit Shah and protested against the decision of the police in Delhi.
Congress’s leader said there were no “specific reasons” that would reject the permits for a procession that has been peacefully held in the last 15 years. The decision, in his letter stated to Mr. Shah, raised only questions about the government’s obligation to observe the basic right to practice and confess one’s religion freely.
“This is not just supervision; it is a deliberate act of suppression. Government refusal to offer even a custom relevant justification for this prohibition that issues its motives: discrimination dressed as politics. This selective targeting underlines the calculated agenda to calculate the agenda.
In his letter, he said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended Christmas and Easter celebrations in the sacred heart cathedral. “The decision to ban this peace religious procession represents a serious attack on religious freedom guaranteed by the Indian Constitution,” Venugopal said.
Mr. Venugopal also asked whether Christians were excluded from Article 25 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion. “Since when the practicing faith has become a threat? It is not an isolated incident – it is targeted discrimination,” said the leader of the Congress on X.
“BJP (Bharatiya Janata) cannot even maintain its so-called pro-Christian trick for one week. First, an organizational article focused on church qualities and now the Police Delhi refused permission to parade on the Holy Day of Palm,” Mr. Venugopal said.
‘Permission has never been possible’
Police spokesman in Delhi Sanjay Tyagi said that the permit was never granted for the procession. “The procession began a few years ago and the organizers never received permission in the past. No police staff did not stop this procession physically; the organizers themselves did not proceed with it,” Mr. Tyagi Hindu said.
George Kurian, State Minister for Minority for Minority Affairs, also rejected the accusation of permit for a Sunday procession permit, which connects the Church of Sts. Mary with the Church of the Sacred Heart in Nový Delhi and stated that the decision was based solely on the reasons for security.
“Security is very tight in Delhi and the permit was rejected for security reasons,” Mr. Kurian told media persons in Thiruvananthapurama. Even the Hanuman Jayanti procession scheduled for Saturday was not approved, he said. “All processions of this nature were limited,” he added.
“That’s what I said. Please inform the public appropriately,” said Mr. Kurien when the reporters were pushed.
Kerala leaders weigh
The alleged rejection of permission brought criticism from various neighborhoods, even from the main Minister Keral and the leader of the opposition in the Kereral Assembly.
Previously, Chief Minister Keral Pinarayi condemned Vijayan’s decision in Delhi. “The permission was rejected for the procession of the Church of St. Mary to the Church of the Sacred Heart. This violates the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom and secular values,” Mr. Vijayan said. He added that such events that “violate the faith of minorities do not appear pluralistic societies.”
The leader of the opposition in the Keral Od Satheesan assembly described the move of the police in Delhi “unacceptable” and “undemocratic and attack on religious freedom”.
Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said that the incident “re-revealed the anti-mini-red agenda BJP again”. “Christians in India must recognize the double standards of BJP,” said Mr. Chennithala.
He also warned that those who today focus on the WAQF Council can focus on the real estate of the Church tomorrow. “Minorities must understand – if they are united in resistance, these forces are divided and conquered,” Chennithala said.
Meanwhile, President BJP Keral Rajeev Chandrasekhar claimed that the Congress and Communist Party of the India-Marxist (CPI-M)-Lead Democratic Front (LDF) “politicizes”, even Palm Sunday.
“It is a sad reality that even Palm Sunday is politicized by congress and left. The former trade union minister published on Facebook and shared pictures of parades and prayers held in various churches in Delhi by the state leader of BJP.
(Inputs from PTI)
Published – April 13 2025 20:36
