THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP leader Sandeep Vachaspati on Monday came up with a response to the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Pope. "After the 'communalist' Atal Bihari Vajpayee, another communalist Narendra Modi had to become the Prime Minister to open the door of the Vatican Palace for India. Pope Francis had betrayed by giving Modi a warm welcome and spending more time with him than scheduled", Sandeep wrote on Facebook.
This is the first meeting of an Indian PM with the Pope at the Vatican since Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visit in 2000. Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and IK Gujral are the other Indian prime ministers who have met the Pope before.