Karnataka BJP leader and party general secretary (organisation) B.L. Santosh kicked up a row when he said that the concentration of minorities—Muslims and Christians—in some parts of India is dangerous and a matter of concern.
In a panel discussion on 'New India: Demography—Dividend or Danger' at the ongoing Mangaluru Literature Festival, Santosh, reportedly, said: “The concentration of Muslims and Christians is high in some parts of the country, which is dangerous.”
Santosh, an RSS veteran who was appointed BJP general secretary in July this year by Home Minister Amit Shah, said that 50 per cent of the Christian population in India is concentrated in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. Similarly, he said that the Christian population in the northeast makes up 37 per cent of the country’s Christian population.
“The concentration of minorities only in some areas is a threat and this has to be resolved. The Malabar district [referring to the Malabar belt] in Kerala is a good example. There is a high concentration of the Muslim population and hence, they had demanded a separate North Malabar state," Santosh cited as an example.
He said that the BJP-led NDA government is not concerned about the numbers (population, that is) of the minorities but their concentration. And so, Santosh said that the Centre will come up with an action plan to “deal with the situation”.
When the conversation veered towards National Register of Citizens (NRC), Santosh said that it had nothing to do with religion! “The NRC is not a tool to target people on religious lines. It is being done on humanitarian grounds. Hindus who were persecuted in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan had come here seeking refuge. Those people will be given citizenship.”
Santhosh replaced Ram Lal as the general secretary (organisation) of the BJP, in July. He was the party's general secretary (organisation) in Karnataka for eight years and was appointed national joint general secretary in-charge of the southern states in 2014 by Shah.
Interestingly, the general secretary (organisation) is seen as the link between the BJP and the RSS, the party's ideological parent.
