A group of 196 citizens, many of whom are Christians, criticized the invitation extended to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the Christmas celebrations hosted by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India in New Delhi on Monday. The prime minister is expected to share the stage with Church leaders, including cardinals and bishops, at the event, marking the first time a prime minister is attending such a program at the Catholic Church’s headquarters in India.
The group issued a statement condemning the invitation, arguing that engaging with a prime minister who has been criticized for his perceived inaction in protecting the rights of Christians overlooks the community’s struggles. They highlighted allegations of persecution faced by Christians in India, citing the rise of violence against them, particularly in rural areas, due to the influence of “Hindutva nationalism.”
The statement referred to data from the Evangelical Fellowship of India, which reported 327 incidents of violence against Christians in 2021, and the United Christian Forum, which recorded 486 incidents in 2022. The group also mentioned that between January and November of this year, there were 745 incidents of violence against Christians in India.
“We call upon the Christian leadership to voice these concerns and hold the prime minister as head of the government accountable for the protection of Christians in India,” the statement read.
“Symbolic gestures do little to address the issue [of] hatred generated against the community, and the resultant targeted violence, harassment, arrests, and incidents of ostracization in several parts of the country”, the group said.
Signatories of the statement include Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson Tushar Gandhi, Communist Party of India leader Annie Raja, and Jesuit priest Father Cedric Prakash. They called on Christian leaders to hold the prime minister accountable for ensuring the safety and rights of Christians in India, stressing that symbolic gestures like attending such events do little to address the real issues of violence, harassment, arrests, and ostracization faced by the community.
Earlier this year, over 3,000 Christians had protested against community leaders who participated in Christmas celebrations hosted by Modi in 2023, citing concerns over laws in BJP-ruled states that restrict religious conversions and violate citizens’ fundamental rights to freely practice and propagate their religion.
