Reacting to a front-page report in The Indian Express that the Delhi BJP government proposed to exclude churches from the list, the CPI(M) said the government should immediately abandon any such move and assure the citizens of all communities in Delhi that their rights will be protected.

The sharply-worded statement issued by the CPI(M) Politburo said the proposal is an ``intolerant and outrageous move against the Christian community''. The party said the BJP should ``remember that the Indian Constitution enjoins upon the State'' the responsibility to ensure that all religious communities have the freedom to profess and practise their religion.

The exclusive report in The Indian Express revealed that the Delhi BJP government plans to remove churches from thelist of places of worship since wine is offered symbolically during the Holy Mass. ``To label this as serving wine in churches and hence to exclude churches from the definition of places of worship shows utmost intolerance and trampling upon the religious rights of minorities,'' the CPI(M) said.