'Here cribs are being destroyed': Kerala Orthodox priest trains guns on Modi over Christmas celebration

Thiruvananthapuram: Close on the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the Christmas celebration hosted by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), a bishop in Kerala ridiculed it by citing the attack by Vishva Hindu Parishad amid Christmas celebration at a school in Kerala.

Metropolitan of the Thrissur diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Yuhanon Meletius made the remark on social media.

"Metropolitans are honored and prayers are offered before crib there (Delhi). Here cribs are attacked. There is some term in Malayalam for such styles," he said.

CBCI president and archbishop of Thrissur Andrews Thazhath said that Modi was invited to the CBCI's Christmas celebration as the Prime Minister of India and not as a BJP leader. It was an honour for CBCI that the Prime Minister took part in the Christmas celebrations, he said.

VHP local leaders at Palakkad district in Kerala were held for threatening teachers and students of a government school for organising Christmas celebrations. Cribs and other decorations made at another nearby school as part of Christmas were also found destroyed by yet to be identified miscreants.

The Congress and the CPM in Kerala are already highlighting the issue to counter BJP's Christian outreach efforts in Kerala.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a social media post that the VHP's threat at the school was part of efforts of communal forces to destroy the communal harmony in Kerala.

While addressing the CBCI's Christmas celebrations Modi had said that attempts to spread violence and cause disruption in society was paining his heart. He was referring to the recent attack at the Christmas market in Germany and the 2019 Easter bombings in Sri Lanka.