BJP complains to CEO against Catholic priest’s hate speech

Panaji: The Bharatiya Janata Party has registered three complaints with the state office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), including one about an alleged hate speech delivered by a local Catholic priest.

A probe has been ordered by the CEO in the complaint pertaining to the alleged hate speech.

The particular complaint filed by Vishnu Naik, the general secretary of the BJP Mandal for Panaji constituency states, “I seek to draw your attention to a video clip doing the rounds on various social media platforms. The said video clip depicts a religious priest addressing people within the building of a religious institution and creating an atmosphere of hate and fear against a particular political party and a specific religion.”

“This matter needs a thorough investigation and the said priest must be booked for spreading hate and destabilising religious harmony,” the complaint points out, adding that the state office of the CEO should initiate immediate action in the particular matter.

Incidentally the particular video, which has gone viral, shows parish priest

Fr Conceição D’Silva addressing devotees and alleging that former chief minister Manohar Parrikar died due to cancer as a wrath of God for encouraging pollution and trying to cancel government holidays of the Catholics.

The video also shows Fr D’Silva accusing the BJP of harassing minorities and further urging his parishioners not to vote for the party.

Meanwhile, Fr Loiola Pereira, the secretary to the Archbishop, has reacted as, “I am aware of the video and the Bishop’s House has been informed about it.”

The other two complaints filed by state BJP leader Keshav Prabhu with the state office of the CEO pertain to violation of model code of conduct by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and state spokesperson of the Congress party Sunil Kawthankar.

The first complaint by Prabhu states that Kejriwal, during his address at the April 13 public meeting, in Margao had incited religious sentiments by stating, “Mob lynching taking place in the country under the guise of cattle theft, is actually murder,” and “Christians and Muslims will be driven into the sea under the guise of infiltrators.”

The other complaint maintains that Kawthankar has attempted to create a communal divide by wrongly putting forth the speech of national BJP president Amit Shah.