​The lost message: On shallow symbolism

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation in a Christmas morning service on December 25, at the Cathedral Church of the Redemption in the national capital, was one that was noticed globally. Mr. Modi has hosted or visited Christian leaders or institutions during festivals, but taking part in a complete worship service at a church was a first for him. Mr. Modi also shared greetings and good wishes for peace, compassion and harmony on his social media account, invoking the teachings of Jesus Christ. Amid numerous reports of intimidation and violence against Christians during the Christmas season and even prior to that, Mr. Modi’s church visit was meant as a gesture of reassurance for the minority community in India’s diverse social landscape. Such symbolism of Governors participating in diverse traditions has been a feature of political pragmatism and also a genuine reflection of the syncretism that characterises Indian nationhood. The RSS, Mr. Modi’s ideological cradle, has long considered Christianity and Islam as foreign to India. However, in recent years, it has sought to include these faiths also in its notion of national identity, and Mr. Modi’s participation in the Christmas worship could be seen as yet another step toward moderation and tolerance.

But if that indeed is the message that Mr. Modi wants to convey, he needs to do it stronger and clearer for State governments and police forces under the control of his party to hear. Vandalism and violence against Christian places of worship and festivities have been recurring. From Assam, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Odisha, and other places, reported cases include disruption of worship and physical violence against church leaders. Spurious charges of conversion — which anyway is a matter of personal liberty and freedom of religion protected by the Constitution — are often raised to justify this violence. Even commercial activities related to Christmas have been disrupted by mobs in various parts of the country. Most of these incidents are linked to Sangh Parivar-affiliated individuals or groups. Even after Mr. Modi’s Christmas message, no meaningful police action has followed against the mobs that indulged in the violence. On the contrary, intimidation and threats of violence against Christians and Muslims have continued, including by BJP leaders. All this points to the inadequacy of the symbolism of Mr. Modi’s church visit. It would have been meaningful had the troublemakers and the law enforcers been sent the message. There is no sign of that, and that means the BJP either does not want to, or cannot, do anything more than shallow symbolism in favour of pluralism in India.