The Odisha Minority Forum (OMF) has strongly condemned the “communal” remarks of Goa Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza that India is a Hindu country and he is a Christian Hindu. The OMF termed D’Souza’s statement as “political opportunism”. OMF president Dr Sasmit Patra said, “It is extremely sad that Mr D’Souza in a bid to score political brownie points for his political gains has dragged religious sentiments and attempted to raise communal passions by his statements.” “He probably needs to explain how he can claim that he is a Christian Hindu when Christian theology is based on monotheism and Hindu religion believes in polytheism. It seems in his enthusiasm to support his colleague Deepak Dhavalikar for having remarked that Mr Narendra Modi should turn India into a Hindu state that a good Christian seems to have lost his conviction,” Dr Patra said. The OMF is considering legal options to take D’Souza to court “for having attempted to trivialise the religious sentiments of the Christian community across India and, by his action, showing the Christian faith in a bad light”, he said.