In a rather controversial statement, Karnataka BJP leader and national general secretary (Organisation) BL Santhosh on Saturday said that the concentration of the minority population in certain pockets of the country is a “matter of concern."

Santosh, who was promoted in mid-July to the second most coveted post in the party, made these comments on Saturday as he was speaking at the Mangaluru Lit Fest. Santosh was previously a joint General Secretary (organisation) and is considered to be bitter rivals with Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa within the party. The BJP leader was speaking to journalist Ajith Hanumakkanavar during an event titled ‘Demography — Dividend or Danger,’ at the Lit Fest. 

According to reports, Santosh said, “The concentration of Muslims and Christians is high in some parts of the country, which is dangerous.” He also suggested that the central government will come up with an action plan to “deal with the situation” as he deemed the “concentration of minorities” as a “threat” that needs to be resolved.

He added that 50% of the Christian population in India is concentrated in the four southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. He added that these four states only account for less than 30% of the total population. Similarly, he said the Christian population in the North-East makes up 37% of the country’s Christian population. Further 81% of Tamil Nadu’s Christian population was also concentrated only in the three districts of Kanyakumari, Nagapattinam, and Cuddalore, Santosh said.

He attributed the demand for a separate north Malabar state by Muslim Youth League was due to the “Muslim concentration.”

He, however, suggested that the BJP does not worry about growing numbers of minorities but only their concentration. As part of the same conversation, Santosh also said that the NRC (National Register of Citizens) was not a measure to target minorities.