"Christian-Hindu" comment is heresy: NCP

Panaji, July 26 (IANS) The NCP Saturday charged Deputy Chief Minister Francis D'Souza with "heresy" and demanded that the Goa church seek an explanation from him about his claim of being a "Christian Hindu".

"D'Souza has committed heresy by claiming he is a Christian-Hindu. You can either be a Christian or a Hindu. The Church should demand an explanation from him and if he fails to explain this term, then he should be ex-communicated from the religion," Nationalist Congress Party leader Trajano D'Mello told a press conference at the party's state headquarters Saturday.

D'Souza had sparked off a national controversy on Friday when he said, "India is a Hindu country. It is Hindustan. All Indians in Hindustan are Hindus, including I - I am a Christian Hindu."

D'Souza is one of the seniormost minority members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)in Goa.

D'Mello claimed that the deputy chief minister had been brainwashed by the BJP. "What he has said is nothing less than sacrilege and an insult to all Christians. We are all proud Indians, but you cannot mix two religions for political purposes," said D'Mello, a Christian himself.