Goa: BJP complains against Christian priest's 'hate speech', inquiry launched

The Goa Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has ordered an inquiry into an alleged hate speech given by a Christian priest against the BJP following a complaint from the party.

A video of the priest from South Goa addressing some people inside a church has gone viral on social media.

In the video, the priest, who is speaking in Konkani, is seen criticising the BJP, party president Amit Shah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and late Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar.

The BJP's Goa unit lodged a complaint against the priest on Sunday.

A complaint was also filed by a local resident. The complainant alleged that through his speech, the priest was spreading hatred and also violated the model code of conduct (MCC).

When contacted, CEO Kunal said he has ordered an inquiry into the matter.

"District Election Officer for South Goa constituency has been directed to conduct a detailed inquiry at the earliest and submit a report," he said.

BJP's Panaji block general secretary Vishnu Naik said in his complaint, the video clip shows "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".

The ruling party demanded a thorough investigation into the matter and that the priest be booked for "spreading hatred".

Polling will be held for the two Lok Sabha seats in Goa on April 23.