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New Delhi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has highlighted the recent attacks on Christian community members in the country, which took place in the days leading up to Christmas. He said, "when traditions are attacked, it is all of us." He highlighted several instances of violence against Christians which took place just before Christmas on Thursday, mainly pointing to an incident in Kerala.
The Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, talked about the attack on a carol singing group in Kerala's Palakkad. He said that there "was a need to show solidarity with our Christian brothers."
He took to social media platform 'X' to share his dismay regarding the attacks on Christians. He wrote, "While the festive spirit remained alive in Kerala, it’s dismaying that Christmas 2025 has been marked by an unprecedented level of anxiety, driven by specific local incidents and a rising national trend of intolerance.In the shadow of these events and the warnings from church fathers, the message for society must be one of alertness and unity. Coexistence is not a passive state; it is an active choice to protect your neighbour's peace. When a carol group is attacked, it is not just a Christian issue—it is an assault on all of us & the shared culture of Kerala. Peace cannot survive if the majority remains silent spectators to the bullying of a minority."
He urged the authorities to "act swiftly" and "impartially" against hooliganism and urged citizens of the country to reject narratives that paint fellow citizens as "enemies" or "aliens." He urged the people to build a Kerala where "no child is afraid to sing a carol, and no believer fears to bow their head in prayer."
Talking about his own relationship with the Christian community and specially his connection with the festival, Tharoor said that he visits churches in Thiruvananthapuram every year. He also talked about his commitment to the community.
In his personal message too, Tharoor talked about the current situation in Kerala and how people needed to come together, in these "fraught times." He said that "solidarity is all the more necessary to reiterate the respect for each other’s faiths that must mark human relationships in our country."
He also shared several photographs of his visit to the church and meeting people on Christmas. He however regretted the fact that he could visit only 4 churches this time as his flight from Delhi was delayed.
Tharoor however described the experience as "wonderful", saying, "I had a wonderful experience in going from church to church, and in particular at St Mary's, where Cardinal Cleemis, the major archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Church, he called me up on stage and gave me a morsel of chocolate cake himself and said some kind things."
The Congress leader tried to give a message of unity and peace on Christmas.
