Christmas celebrations: Orthodox priest criticises PM Modi, BJP

A senior priest of the Orthodox Church in Kerala on Tuesday took a swipe at the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over their Christmas celebrations, citing the recent disruption of festivity in a Kerala school by VHP activists.

The sharp criticism from the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church's Thrissur diocese metropolitan, Yuhanon Mor Meletius, on his social media handle came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the Christmas celebrations hosted by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India in New Delhi.

“Over there, bishops are honoured, and cribs are revered. Here, cribs are destroyed. There must be a term in Malayalam for such behaviour, right?” the priest said in a Facebook post.

The alleged disruption of Christmas celebrations in a school by local activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the destruction of a symbolic crib erected by children in another school by unknown miscreants in Palakkad district triggered widespread protest in Kerala recently.

The state government deployed a special police team to investigate the incidents. Meanwhile, CPI, the second largest coalition partner in the ruling LDF in the state, also vehemently criticised the PM's participation in the Christmas celebrations organised by the CBCI in New Delhi and termed it as Modi's “drama of political hypocrisy.”

While the PM was preaching about Christ and his love to cardinals and bishops in New Delhi, his “sangh bandhus” were disrupting Christmas celebrations in Kerala's Nallepilly and committing blasphemy, Binoy Viswam, the state secretary of the CPI, alleged in a statement.

The Left leader further said if there is any sincerity in the words that the PM had said at the CBCI headquarters, he should be going to Manipur during this Christmas with the message of love and peace.

Viswam also sought to know whether the PM was ready to go to Manipur. Prime Minister Modi on Monday said it pains his heart when there are attempts to spread violence and cause disruption in society.

Speaking at the Christmas celebrations hosted by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, Modi stressed the importance of strengthening the spirit of love, harmony and brotherhood in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ.

It was the first time that a prime minister had attended such a programme at the headquarters of the Catholic Church in India.