Kerala Bishop slams PM Modi's Christmas ‘drama’ – ‘isn’t there a phrase in Malayalam’

A senior priest of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in Kerala has sparked a controversy by taking a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi through a social media post on Christmas Eve.

The bishop termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s presence at the Christmas celebrations hosted by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) in New Delhi as a ‘drama’ while pointing to the alleged destruction of Christmas cribs in Palakkad by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists.

Yuhanon Meletius, the Metropolitan bishop of the Thrissur diocese of the Church, took to Facebook and wrote in Malayalam, “There, bishops are revered and cribs are bowed to. Here, cribs are destroyed. Isn’t there a phrase in Malayalam for such an action?”

Later, talking to a TV channel the bishop termed Modi’s visit to the CBCI headquarters as 'drama.'

Modi Chief Guest at Christmas event

The priest was referring to the Christmas event hosted by the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) in Delhi on Monday. PM Modi was the chief guest. Meletius, also cited two separate incidents that took place at Palakkad district in Kerala, in which suspected VHP supporters allegedly attempted to disrupt Christmas celebrations at a government school on December 20, and a crib was found to be vandalised at another school on December 23.

VHP Palakkad district secretary K Anil Kumar, joint secretary V Sushasanan and panchayat president K Velayudhan were arrested and remanded in custody after protests over the incidents.

Meletius' remarks come at a time when the BJP is conducting an outreach programme with a focus on the Christian community in Kerala.

BJP state president K Surendran has denied any involvement of VHP or Sangh Parivar workers in the incidents. Surendran called for an investigation into the incidents, suggesting the possibility of a conspiracy and even questioning if former BJP members could be involved.

“Strong action should be taken against the accused, and such incidents should not be allowed to recur,” he said, as per a report in India Today.