Goa governor P.S. Sreedharan Pillai’s portrayal of India at a conference as a place where all religions are treated equally faced a swift challenge from a Left MP, who flagged the ceaseless communal strife fuelled by proponents of Hindutva.

Binoy Viswam, CPI Rajya Sabha member from Kerala, told the event that the governor’s all-is-well line did not reflect reality. He underlined the Sangh parivar’s longstanding demand for a state religion, with second-class status for those who refused to embrace it.

Pillai, a former Kerala state BJP president, had earlier said that Indians were one irrespective of the diversity of religions in the country, and attempted to portray the RSS as an inclusive organisation accommodating of Muslim concerns and sentiments.

“The essence of life in India is not confrontation but coordination,” Pillai said in his inaugural address at the 10th state conference of the Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen, which fights social evils within the Sunni community, in Kozhikode on Thursday.

Pillai said a Muslim leader named Mohammed Yusuf had been allowed to pray at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur.

“The discussions (between Yusuf and RSS leaders) went beyond schedule, when he realised it was prayer time for him,” Pillai said.

“Why does his organisation forget how arrangements were made for him to pray at the (RSS) headquarters?” he added, alluding to some Muslim groups’ objection to the Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen inviting him to the conference.

Pillai said Kerala was a great example of how Judaism, Christianity and Islam could be welcomed and allowed to flourish.

“The copper plate inscriptions with the Marthoma Church (a Christian denomination) speak of how the people welcomed all faiths,” he said. “India has provided space and opportunity for about 12 religions to take root and flourish in the country.”

Pillai appeared to play down the communal strife in the country as differences of opinion inevitable among a population of 130 crore.

“There can be some issues when 130 crore people live together. But I feel the greatness of the country is that every religion facilitates the kind of brotherhood that we see,” he said.

Viswam, who arrived after Pillai had left, said he had been briefed about what the governor had said.

“He (Pillai) said there are no problems in the country. Is that the party’s (BJP’s) position? Can my friend (Pillai) ensure that it is so? No,” Viswam said. He cited former RSS chief M.S. Golwakar’s book, Bunch of Thoughts, to buttress his point.

“Golwalkar also said that minorities need not be scared. But Pillai should clarify what is said (in the book) next, when Golwalkar writes about a state religion and how they (minorities) can live as citizens if they accept that, or otherwise live as foreigners sans voting rights,” Viswam said.

“Those who are ruling India now also speak of a state religion. Their ideology says the foundation of the nation is based on every citizen (irrespective of faith) accepting the state religion.

“If this reality is not clarified now, India would eventually become something else that should not happen. There is no India without wsecularism.”

Viswam claimed that some BJP members were trying to push a bill to remove the word “secular” from the Constitution, “and Sreedharan Pillai is aware of that”.

Neither Pillai nor Viswam could be reached for further comments. Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan will be the chief guest at the closing session on January 1.