MUMBAI, India – Three Christian organizations in India are seeking legal action against a politician accusing the Church of being involved in the “drug business.”

Dr. Surendra Kumar Jain, the International Joint General Secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), made his statement in Assam in northeastern India.

“Today I realized that the drug business is also done on a large scale by the Church. On one hand, the Church is destroying our culture, insulting the traditions, beliefs here and also destroying the life of the people here,” he said on Oct. 17.

He was speaking at a computer center in the town of Haflong.

“After coming here, I came to know that girls here are moving ahead in every field of life, boys are lagging behind. This is becoming a big reason for drug addiction. Social organizations like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad are taking this drug addiction as a challenge … We will join hands with the government here and run a big movement against this drug addiction and we will try to make the Northeast drug-free,” he said.

“Conversion is a challenge, we do answer it, but we will also tell the Church,” Jain said.

“You keep going to the church, the Christians here should follow their faith, we have no objection. But if you disturb the law and order here, hurt the beliefs here, do drug trade, this will not be accepted and the society takes it as a challenge,” he added, referring to the Church’s alleged contribution to the “drug business” in the district.

The Vishva Hindu Parishad, which means the World Council of Hindus, is an Indian right-wing Hindu organization affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Hindu nationalist group affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is the ruling party of India and the state of Assam.

Religious minorities have complained of increased harassment since the party took power on a Hindu-first platform.

Incidents of harassment against Christians and other religious minorities have increased across India, with various Christians being detained or arrested for “attempted conversion,” and places of worship being vandalized.

Assam is just over 60 percent Hindu, 34 percent Muslim, and just under 4 percent Christian. Almost all Christians belong to the Scheduled Tribe and Castes communities.

In a statement to the Dima Hasao deputy commissioner, the United Christian Forum of Dima Hasao, the United Christian Forum of Karbi Anglong and the Assam Christian Forum said they “express their deep shock, pain and disappointment” over Jain’s attempt to “malign” the Christian community Christian groups said his accusations were “unfounded.”

Drug use is a problem in several states of the Northeast of India. The state governments along with central agencies have intensified operations over the past few years to curb the menace.

The Christian organizations said that Jain’s “baseless accusations” are “not only harmful but appear to be intentional, with a clear intent of maligning an entire community that has greatly contributed to the region” in sectors “such as education, healthcare, social welfare, literature, media, research, relief and sustainable development.”

Jain’s statements insinuating that the Church is involved in “illegal activities” are “unfounded, baseless and unacceptable” and these “threaten to create mistrust, undermine unity and harm the inclusiveness that is crucial for the peaceful co-existence and progress of the country and Assam,” the representation said.

The organizations then urged the deputy commissioner “to take action against Mr. Jain under the law of the land and as per the provision of the Constitution for his demeaning remarks, that have hurt the religious sentiments of the entire Christian community.

United Christian Forum of Dima Hasao (UCFD), had on October 29 issued a media statement condemning the “prominent” VHP leader for his “derogatory and hateful remarks” accusing “the Christians of supplying drugs in Dima Hasao in his speech” on October 10 “during the inauguration of Joya Thaosen Computer Center at Haflong.”

Describing Jain’s statement against the Church as a “blatant misuse of freedom of speech and expression,” the UCFD statement further asserted that the Church has always “strived for a drug-free society through the teachings of the Bible on sobriety, self-control and the detrimental effect of harming our bodies through the abuse of intoxicating substances. The Church in no way condones the use and sale of drugs or any intoxicant by its members.”

Archbishop John Moolachira of Guwahati told Crux Jain was “trying to malign Christians.”

“There is anger against him among Christians all over Northeast. Christian baiting seem to make them more popular within their class,” the archbishop said.