Brinda Karat condemns Sangh Parivar’s alleged “hate campaign” against minorities in Chhattisgarh

Raveesh Benjamin
Raipur: Veteran CPI(M) leader and former Member of Parliament Brinda Karat has accused the Sangh Parivar of orchestrating a “hate campaign” targeting minorities, particularly Christians and Muslims, in Chhattisgarh. Speaking to Newsbuddy over a telephonic interview, Karat expressed concern over the escalating incidents of alleged harassment in the state, which she claims have intensified since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regained power.
Karat was in Chhattisgarh to visit two Christian nuns, Preeti Marry and Vandana Francis, who were arrested on July 25 at Durg railway station on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion. The arrests followed allegations by Sangh Parivar members, after which the nuns were sent to judicial custody. Karat, accompanied by CPI(M) leaders Annie Raja, MP A A Rahim, Dharamraj Mahapatra, and Tuhin Deb, met the nuns in Durg jail and described their arrest as a stark example of the Sangh Parivar’s “violent hate campaign” against minorities.
Highlighting a series of recent incidents, Karat pointed to the alleged assault on a tribal Christian woman and her daughter over a land dispute in Kondagaon, a Christian burial dispute in Kanker, and the arrests in Durg as evidence of rising hostility. She stated, “Chhattisgarh is becoming a hub for Sangh Parivar’s atrocities against minorities.” Karat criticized the BJP-led government, alleging a lack of rule of law and describing the situation as a “rule of goons.”
Karat dismissed the allegations against the nuns as baseless, asserting that Indian citizens have the right to travel and seek employment anywhere in the country. She accused the BJP of pursuing a “narrow Hindutva agenda” to target minorities.
Calling for action, Karat urged Chhattisgarh’s political leaders to unite in an anti-fascist campaign to counter what she described as a rising tide of hatred, divisive politics, and minority repression in the state.