The prime minister met members of the Christian community at his residence in Delhi on Christmas and heaped praise on the community for its role in giving direction to the society and sense of service. The civil society activists Apoorvanand, John Dayal, Shabnam Hashmi, Minakshi Singh, Mary Scaria and AC Michael had at a press conference last week said it is an irony that the year, which saw churches being burnt in Manipur in May ends with Prime Minister Modi felicitating leaders of the minority community.