Since 2014, Christians in India have been victims of continued attacks and vilification from members of the ruling regime all over the country. Christians have been hounded and harassed, their places of worship destroyed, they have been denied their ordinary rights as citizens and been subject to denigration and demonisation. The anti-conversion laws which have been put into place in BJP-ruled States are used as weapons against the fundamental right to preach, practise and propagate one's religion. Celebrations in schools have been stopped, and Christians have been arrested without any warrant and put behind bars for no offence of theirs.

The government seems keen to starve Christianity out of existence by withdrawing the FCRAs (license to receive foreign donations) of a vast number of churches and its NGOs (nongovernmental organisations) and using the investigating agencies against cardinals and bishops, pastors and laypeople.

Instances of hate speeches against Christians, attacks on churches and institutions, and promulgation of Anti-Conversion Laws in more and more states have led to deprivation and usurpation of the constitutional rights of Christians, which the Prime Minister's Office can best handle with timely interventions. The persecution of the community is rampant, and hate towards it from the highest quarters of nationalist religious leadership is as deep as it can be.

Since 3rd May 2023, the Christians of Manipur have been subject to constant attacks, which continue today, unabated and with apparent approval from the BJP Governments both in the state and at the Centre. Media and independent investigators have blamed the BJP-led state government's condoning of the violence by Meitei groups that have also destroyed or damaged more than 600 churches.

Churches run most relief camps in riot-torn Manipur and not the state's BJP government at a time when Christian NGOs are being denied the use of foreign donations by the Centre.

Christians, including bishops and clergy, had, throughout the year, pleaded with the prime minister to visit Manipur, which they said is the site of the most significant communal crimes and human tragedy since Gujarat 2002 and Kandhamal, Orissa 2008.

The prime minister has made a mockery of the pains of the Christian community by remaining silent and not bothering even to visit bleeding Manipur. If he was concerned about the peace and safety of the hounded Christians, he could have taken stern, pre-emptive action to curb and stop the Manipur violence.

Christians look up to the prime minister to give a soothing touch to the burning problem of Manipur, which may be an ethnic issue but has left deep scars on the Christian community. Perhaps he could not find the time, leaving to his home minister and the state's chief minister, who the people allege has been casual in tackling the genocide if not complicit in it by patronising the criminal think private militias.

In the wake of all this, it is ironic that the Prime Minister hosted around 100 Christian representatives of different denominations on Christmas morning for a celebration. While it is certainly within his right as Prime Minister to host a reception for whomsoever he wishes to, amid widespread persecution against the Christians in India by his ilk, one naturally would question the intention of this reception when he has not condemned a single attack on the Christians, under his Prime Ministership. On the contrary, it seems that these attacks have his approval.

It was beautiful to hear from Prime Minister Modi that Jesus' life was a message that is centred on compassion and service. No wonder the people were full of praise for the prime minister, who acknowledged the best in Christianity and for which he merits the highest praise from the Christian Community while interacting with Christian leaders, mainly bishops of various denominations, on Christmas. The Prime Minister had described his links to the Christian community during his interaction with its leaders, including a few of the dignitaries from Kerala, at his residence as "very old, very close, and very warm relations".

The irony is that the 2023 summer began with attacks on Christians in Manipur and ended with religious leaders felicitating the prime minister on Christmas for his "outstanding" contribution to the welfare of Christians and others in the country, with the event marked by fulsome tributes to the leadership of the PM and his qualities and the contribution of Christian institutions to the nation. Was this all? Not a word was said about the daily harassment of poor Christians in most regions of north India, or their persecution at the hands of government bodies and "non-state actors," of the terror inflicted on Christian Kukis in Manipur with government collusion, of the deprivation of benefits to Christian Dalits for 70 years of Independence… the list can go on and on. Is this how Christians are appreciated for their service to the nation?

The Church — I mean the hierarchy, its government — has the moral duty to speak out on behalf of the poor and the oppressed, and not just for Catholics, but wherever poverty and oppression are to be found. That this is hardly done is undoubtedly an indication that the hierarchy has never suffered the oppression and inconveniences of ordinary men and women and so cannot "put themselves into their slippers."

We have seen the BJP's love for Christians in Manipur. How many churches have been burned down? The bloody battle in Manipur continues, and the state and its Minorities continue to die and suffer despite this tea party diplomacy.

Several Christians said they were sceptical about the motivation behind Modi's Christmas meeting and his failure to address the steadily worsening persecution that has taken place in nearly a decade of Modi rule. Was this (Milan Diplomacy) a political gimmick and image-making by Prime Minister Modi ahead of the next elections? Christians are concerned over the silence of Prime Minister Modi, who praises Christian service publicly but does nothing to stop the increasing violence and persecution of Christians.

The prime minister is free and duty-bound to embrace the nation's religious minorities and invite their leaders to functions at his house on Christmas. But the Christmas spirit must not let us forget the conditions and tribulations of our brothers and sisters who suffer because of government impunity and the brazen political elements who have no respect for the constitution of India and its guarantees of freedom to the citizens.

When these Christian representatives spoke at the reception, they were giving tacit approval to the host and the deeds of his government. The simple question is why the Christian leaders were so vociferous in their praises of Prime Minister Modi when they were fully aware of ground reality. Secondly, why did no one have the spine to remind Pradhan Sevak that his mantras of sabka vikas can be achieved only with sabka saath? People in Manipur, MP, Chhatisgarh, and UP also come within the meaning of sabke saath.

We are in a fight for the soul of India, to save democracy and secularism at a time of a fascist onslaught. Under the circumstances, instead of raising their voice against atrocities on the attack on democracy in India, we have religious leaders cosying up to the Prime Minister.

To those who protest that Christmas is not an appropriate time to make such protests, let such be informed that the minions of the party in power have lost no time in presenting 'doctored' versions of the Christmas event, displaying the complete subservience of the Christian hierarchy to the Indian state.

The Church's public face is not prominent laypeople, but the hierarchy — in sharp contrast to the image of other communities.