THRISSUR: A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in a Christmas celebrations hosted by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, the metropolitan bishop of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church has fired a salvo at Modi citing the attack on a Christmas crib by activists of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leaders and one Bajrang Dal at a government school in Kerala's Palakkad.
The sarcastic and cryptic message in Malayalam against Narendra Modi and the BJP was posted by the bishop of Thrissur diocese on his Facebook page.
His post said: "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 alleged disruption of Christmas celebrations by local activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the destruction of a symbolic crib erected by children in another school in Palakkad district triggered widespread protests across Kerala recently.
In response, the state government deployed a special police team to investigate the incidents.
Meanwhile, the CPI, the second-largest coalition partner in Kerala's ruling LDF, also strongly criticised the Prime Minister’s participation in the Christmas celebrations organised by the CBCI in New Delhi, terming 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 stated that if there was any sincerity in the Prime Minister’s words at the CBCI headquarters, he should visit Manipur this Christmas with a message of love and peace. Viswam also questioned whether the PM was willing to go to Manipur.
Prime Minister Modi, during the celebrations on Monday, expressed his distress over attempts to spread violence and cause disruption in society.
Speaking at the event hosted by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, Modi emphasised 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.
(With inputs from PTI.)