Shashi Tharoor condemns attacks on Christians, stresses communal harmony in Christmas message

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Christmas Day said that recent attacks on Christian traditions were not merely assaults on one community but on India’s constitutional values, saying every Indian was being “assaulted” when freedom of worship was threatened.

Speaking to news agency PTI after attending Christmas services, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said he traditionally spends Christmas Eve visiting multiple churches, though this year he managed fewer visits due to a delayed flight from Delhi.

He described ending the night at the midnight Mass at St Joseph’s Cathedral and recalled a moment at St Mary’s Church where Cardinal Cleemis, the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Church, invited him on stage and offered him a piece of Christmas cake.