Christmas With PM Modi, Chaos On Ground: Right-Wing Disruptions Spark Political Row

Hymns, special prayers, and a message of inclusivity marked Christmas as Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended prayers at the Cathedral Church of the Redemption in Delhi. Modi, who has followed this tradition for years, reached out to the Christian community, extending Christmas greetings later at an event commemorating former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birth anniversary. In Kerala, the BJP celebrated Christmas at its Thiruvananthapuram headquarters. However, festivities were marred elsewhere by disruptions from right-wing groups. In Chhattisgarh’s Raipur, a Christmas bash was vandalised. In Assam’s Nalbari, school decorations were set on fire, while in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly, protests were held outside a church. In Kerala’s Palakkad, a carol programme by school children was targeted, triggering political sparring. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condemned the incidents, while Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin questioned the contradiction between the Prime Minister’s outreach and ground-level violence. Church leaders also voiced concern, warning that such incidents cast a shadow over Christmas celebrations nationwide.