X’mas Violence: Modi’s Christmas Outreach vs Saffron Vandalism
Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes part in the Christmas morning service at The Cathedral Church of the Redemption. (Image Modi on X)
As PM Modi courts Christians with a church visit, fringe saffron groups disrupt Christmas, exposing a widening disconnect within the BJP ecosystem
By MANISH ANAND
New Delhi, December 25, 2025 — Within a matter of hours — from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s church visit to a spate of vandalism incidents — fringe elements within the extended saffron ecosystem signalled that they operate as a law unto themselves. From Madhya Pradesh to Delhi and beyond, hooligans disrupted Christmas celebrations, with those involved in the acts of vandalism heard invoking fears of “conversions.”
The Prime Minister took part in the Christmas morning service at The Cathedral Church of the Redemption in the national capital. He posted photographs and video of his taking part in the Church celebrations of Christmas.
Modi has regularly been meeting the Church delegations, mostly from Kerala in recent years. Political observers opine that Modi has been making bridges with the Christian community, as he seeks to prepare grounds for the BJP to make a formidable foray into the Kerala and Tamil Nadu politics.
But the BJP’s political expediency cuts no ice with the fringe groups, which include party’s own functionaries. For decades, the larger saffron tent has fanned fears that Christian evangelism is a threat to the larger Hindu cause.
In states with a large tribal population, the Hindu groups have been at the loggerheads with the Christian activists and churches. Odisha, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and a few more states bear footprints of relentless feud between the saffron soldiers and the Churches.
The tension had been obvious until the BJP came to power at the Centre first in 1996. Afterwards, the BJP under the influence of moderate Atal Bihari Vajpayee sought to distance from the aggressions shown by outfits targeting Christians.
To counter the influence of churches among tribals, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) began giving more attention to its “Vanvasi Kalyan” programmes. A dedicated wing works among the tribal population, driven by the larger objective to “stop conversions.”
The BJP-ruled stated also came out with “tough anti-conversion laws.” But the saffron soldiers claim that the “anti-conversion laws failed to stop the conversions, which now have expanded even to Punjab in a big scale.”
The saffron video soldiers now document incidents of “conversions among the scheduled castes in Uttar Pradesh.” In Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the Christian vote base appears crucial for the BJP’s electoral ambitions, yet this politically expedient outreach fails to resonate with its foot soldiers, many of whom believe that “conversions have not been tamed by BJP-led governments.”
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(This is an opinion piece. Views are personal)
About The Author
Journalists should not be so naive
RSS’s ideologue Sitaram Goel compared Christ himself to non-recyclable junk
Sangh is more comfortable with Muslims as they, generally, speak a language similar to their Hindi
Clear ploy is to hunt with the hound while running with the hare
Leader makes a show of bonhomie, while foot soldiers do everything possible to terrorize Christians
This is on expected lines as they feel that Muslims have been sufficiently smothered in the last 12 years
Sikhs & Buddhists must be on their guard
Journalists should not be so naive
RSS’s ideologue Sitaram Goel compared Christ himself to non-recyclable junk
Sangh is more comfortable with Muslims as they, generally, speak a language similar to their Hindi
Clear ploy is to hunt with the hound while running with the hare
Leader makes a show of bonhomie, while foot soldiers do everything possible to terrorize Christians
This is on expected lines as they feel that Muslims have been sufficiently smothered in the last 12 years
Sikhs & Buddhists must be on their guard