PM reaches out to Christian community on Christmas

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 25

In what clearly looked like a major effort to reach out to the Christian community with the Lok Sabha elections just months away, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met representatives of the community at his residence on the occasion of Christmas.

The gathering saw a plethora of influential Christian community members right from Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church of India and Archbishop of Bombay; to the principal of St. Stephen’s College John Varghese; Alexander George, joint managing director of Muthoot Group; Alukkas Joy Verghese, chairman of Joyalukkas Group, to former Olympian Anju Bobby George and actor Dino Morea among others.

Gives Rs 224 cr cheque to mill workers

• PM Modi on Monday handed over a cheque for Rs 224 crore pertaining to dues of Hukumchand mill workers in Indore via video-conferencing, a move which settled the demands of the workers of the mill, which was shut in 1992
• Modi also laid the foundation stone for a 60 MW solar power plant in Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh

Throwing light on his close and warm relations with the Christian community for a long time, the Prime Minister recalled holding frequent meetings with the Christian community and their leaders during his stint as Gujarat Chief Minister.

Calling his interaction with the Holy Pope just a few years ago as a very memorable moment, Modi highlighted the discussions on issues such as social harmony, global brotherhood, climate change and inclusive development to make earth a better place.

During his first term as Prime Minister, Modi had made former bureaucrat KJ Alphons as a minister in his Cabinet, while just a month before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, veteran Congress leader and Sonia Gandhi’s former pointsman Tom Vadakkan had also joined the BJP.

Political observers say the BJP is bullish on increasing its vote percentage in southern states in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and is keen to expand its base in Tamil Nadu and Kerala to achieve this goal. Meanwhile, Modi also addressed a programme marking the celebrations for Christmas on the occasion, where schoolchildren also presented a choir performance. Modi thanked everyone present for joining him on the special and sacred occasion.

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