The increasing intolerance towards Christmas celebrations, amplified by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other Hindutva organisations, which portray the festival as an imported practice that Hindus should avoid in the name of upholding traditions and culture rooted in the country, is nonetheless anti-Constitution and violative of the freedom of religion, constitutional experts have noted.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has urged members of the Hindu community to refrain from celebrating Christmas, linking the appeal to what it describes as cultural awareness and the protection of religion and tradition, while extending the message not only to individuals but also to shopkeepers, shopping malls and educational institutions.
In a letter dated December 13, Surendra Gupta, the VHP’s Indrapastha Province Minister, stated that Hindus should practise their religion with restraint and dignity in the present times, while asserting that organised religious conversions have been occurring across the country for a long period and that participation in festivals of other faiths could contribute to the social acceptance of those religions.
Responding to questions raised by The Wire Hindi, Gupta maintained that the appeal was focused on preventing conversions rather than restricting religious freedom, arguing that Christian missionaries allegedly exploit social tolerance through conversion activities and that the call to avoid Christmas celebrations was intended as a defensive measure.
He further suggested that concerns about polarisation should instead be directed at those engaged in conversion-related activities, while reiterating that public religious practices such as healing services, which Hindutva organisations frequently oppose, form part of this larger dispute.
According to the 2011 census, Christians number around 27.8 million in India, accounting for approximately 2.3% of the population, while Delhi alone has a Christian population exceeding 150,000.
The Wire quoted Supreme Court lawyer Shahrukh Alam describing the VHP’s appeal as contradictory to the constitutional principle of fraternity, while suggesting that although such an appeal may not be illegal in itself, it promotes cultural exclusion and delineation that runs counter to the moral values enshrined in the Constitution.
She has pointed to Supreme Court interpretations of fraternity in cases such as Prithviraj Chauhan v. Union of India in 2018, the Hijab case of 2022 and interventions related to the Kanwar Yatra, arguing that exclusionary advice from socially dominant organisations has tangible and harmful effects.
The VHP has also objected to Hindu shopkeepers displaying Christmas greetings or selling Christmas-related items, describing such practices as commercially motivated cultural confusion, while suggesting that consumers consider avoiding these businesses.
Devraj Baweja, president of the Delhi Trade Federation, has expressed openness to discussing and possibly endorsing such an appeal, framing it as an assertion of cultural pride rather than hostility, The Wire reported.
The organisation has indicated that its appeal will also be sent to shopping mall authorities and school principals where Christmas is marked through celebrations or decorations, even as it claims that the intention is to promote a peaceful cultural awakening rather than conflict. Critics, however, argue that these actions regulate social behaviour based on religious identity and deepen divisions in a multi-religious society.
Historian Shamsul Islam has linked the current appeal to the VHP’s past actions, recalling disruptions of Christmas celebrations and attacks on churches and Christian institutions in Gujarat’s Dang district in 1997, while also noting that Hindus freely celebrate festivals such as Diwali in Christian-majority countries.
He has further questioned the VHP’s historical stance towards Christianity, pointing out that organisations aligned with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh did not oppose Christians during the colonial period.