The VHP has decided to move court against the Kerala government’s acceptance of the J.B. Koshy Commission report, alleging it is unconstitutional and politically motivated. The organisation also raised concerns over reservation benefits, religious conversions, and government control over Hindu temples.
Kochi: The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has announced that it will initiate legal proceedings against the state government’s decision to implement the J.B. Koshy Commission report. Addressing a press conference, VHP Secretary General Bajrang Lal Bagda alleged that the report contains provisions that are unconstitutional and aimed at appeasing the Christian community for political reasons.
He claimed that the state government’s move to accept the recommendations of the J.B. Koshy Commission at a time when elections are approaching is driven by vote-bank considerations. The VHP, he said, will challenge the decision through legal means. Bagda further alleged that permitting the issuance of caste certificates based on recommendations from Latin Catholic bishops could pave the way for large-scale religious conversions. According to him, the acceptance of the Commission’s recommendations is part of a planned effort to extend reservation benefits, which were previously available only to Scheduled Caste communities among Hindus, Buddhists and Jains, to sections of the Christian community. He asserted that such a move would not be accepted under any circumstances.
Bagda also demanded that the government withdraw from the administration of Hindu places of worship across the country. The management of religious institutions, regardless of denomination, should be entrusted to believers of the respective faiths, he said. Otherwise, he warned, incidents such as the alleged gold theft at Sabarimala could recur, adding that such developments cannot be tolerated. Referring to the film The Kerala Story, Bagda said the movie highlights issues including what he described as “love jihad” in the state. He urged that the matter should not be trivialised merely in the context of beef consumption, adding that he does not believe eating beef represents Kerala’s culture. In his view, the film conveys a message against exploitation prevailing in society. VHP International Joint Secretary G. Sthanu Malayan, Kerala Working President V.R. Rajasekharan, and State General Secretary Adv. Anil Vilayil were also present at the press conference.
