A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi took part in Christmas celebrations organised by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, the metropolitan bishop of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church took a jibe at him. This followed incidents in which activists from the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal attacked a Christmas crib at a government school in Palakkad, Kerala.

The bishop of the Thrissur diocese shared a sarcastic and cryptic comment in Malayalam on his Facebook page directed at Modi and the BJP. His post read, “In some places, bishops are honored, and cribs are cherished. Here, cribs are destroyed. There must be a term in Malayalam for such behavior, right?”

These actions by local VHP activists, including the vandalism of a crib created by children in another Palakkad school, sparked widespread protests throughout Kerala. In response, the state government assigned a special police team to look into these incidents.

Additionally, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the second-largest partner in Kerala’s ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), strongly condemned Modi’s participation in the Christmas celebrations in New Delhi, labeling it as a “drama of political hypocrisy.”

CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam stated, “While the PM was preaching about Christ and His love to cardinals and bishops in New Delhi, his ‘sangh bandhus’ were disrupting Christmas celebrations in Nallepilly and committing blasphemy.”

Viswam further suggested that if Modi was sincere in his message during the CBCI event, he should visit Manipur this Christmas to promote love and peace, questioning whether the PM would be willing to go.

During the celebrations on Monday, Modi expressed concern over the attempts to incite violence and disrupt societal harmony. At the event hosted by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, he highlighted the need to strengthen the ideals of love, harmony, and brotherhood, in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ.

This was the first time a Prime Minister attended a program at the headquarters of the Catholic Church in India.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday asserted that there were no arbitrary additions or deletions of voters in the recently concluded Maharashtra assembly elections.

The EC made this statement while responding to Congress, which alleged arbitrary deletion of voters and addition of more than 10,000 voters in each constituency from the final voter lists. The Congress also claimed an inexplicable increase in voting percentages from 5 pm to the final voter percentage declared by the EC at 11:30 pm on the day of polling.

Speaking on voter turnout data, the election panel said it would not be correct to compare the 5 pm data with final figures. It also explained how the increase in voter turnout from 5 pm to 11:45 PM was normal, being part of the process of aggregation of voter turnout and how there can be bona fide but inconsequential differences in votes polled and votes counted.

The election body also stated that it is impossible to change actual voter turnout as statutory Form 17C giving details of voter turnout is available with authorised agents of candidates at the time of close of voting at the polling station itself. It added that the rule-based process was followed with transparency in Maharashtra electoral roll preparation and there were no irregular patterns in voter deletions in the state.

The EC also told the Congress that due process was followed, including the participation of Congress representatives in the preparation of electoral rolls. The ECI informed the Congress that all data, as demanded by the party, relating to electors for each Constituency in Maharashtra and Form 20 is available on CEO Maharashtra’s website and can be downloaded.

In its response, the EC assured collaboration on its meticulous, participative, and transparent processes. The Election Commission also underscored the importance of collaboration with all political parties and welcomed constructive suggestions.

A massive chaos broke out at the general meeting of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation as the Congress and the BJP councillors clashed over the legacy of DR BR Ambedkar. Reportedly, Anil Masih, the election officer who tampered with the ballot papers of the Chandigarh mayoral polls, targeted the Congress and accused Rahul Gandhi of being out on bail, citing the National Herald Case. 

This led to a heated exchange among Congress, AAP, and BJP members, culminating in a brawl.Subsequently, the Congress and AAP councillors passed a motion against Union Home Minister Amit Shah, calling for his resignation. The BJP councillors countered by accusing the Congress of historically disrespecting Dr BR Ambedkar, especially during the tenure of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. 

Furthermore, the BJP also alleged that the Congress was attempting to tarnish Amit Shah’s image by selectively quoting his recent speech in the Rajya Sabha. The saffron party also launched an attack on Congress, accusing it of orchestrating a smear campaign against Amit Shah. 

Reports said that senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad led the charge, stating that the Congress was engaging in drama and hypocrisy by invoking Dr BR Ambedkar’s legacy for political gain. Addressing a press conference at BJP headquarter, Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the Congress, which always insulted BR Ambedkar during his lifetime, is now pretending to honour him. He added that the hypocrisy must stop. The BJP also demanded an unconditional apology from the Congress for its alleged historical mistreatment of Dr BR Ambedkar.

Responding, the Congress launched a weeklong nationwide initiative titled, Ambedkar Samman Saptah to commemorate Dr Ambedkar’s contributions. The party leaders and workers are holding marches and press conferences to highlight his legacy and demand accountability for Amit Shah’s recent remarks.

Meanwhile, Mayawati, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress were two sides of the same coin, alleging that both of the parties have been engaged in politics in the name of Babasaheb Ambedkar.