Notwithstanding a high-profile outreach initiative by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to strengthen the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) foothold among the Christian community, unease among Catholics in Kerala over a perceived surge in anti-Christian attacks by alleged Sangh Parivar groups appears steadily escalating into a heated political discourse.
Expressing deep displeasure over the spate of violence in northern and central India, Deepika, the mouthpiece of the Syro-Malabar Church, did not hold back its criticism of the Prime Minister in an editorial published on Monday (December 29, 2025). “When Hindutva extremists vandalised Christmas decorations and unleashed violence, the Prime Minister, who came to church to offer prayers, was not doing it to reassure the citizens of the country, but to show off to leaders of foreign countries. Perhaps, he could have addressed the authorities of the Union government. Otherwise, he could have condemned the attacks or taken a firm stance against them,” read the editorial.
The episode, which follows closely on the heels of the attack and arrest of two nuns in Chhattisgarh over alleged religious conversion, has struck a particularly sensitive chord in Kerala. It has sparked widespread debate in parishes across Central Travancore, a region historically known for sending a large number of missionaries to northern India. Political parties across the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) too have condemned the attacks and highlighted the gaps in the BJP’s outreach to Christians in Kerala.
