December 23, 2019
Unity in diversity is the core of India: Didi
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee spoke at the Christmas get-together organised today by St Xavier’s College (Autonomous).
Highlights of her speech:
* Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone. Thank you, St Xavier’s, for inviting me. I love the cheerfulness and energy of the students. That’s why I love to come here.
* The defining sentiments of our Constitution are love, secularism, freedom, liberty, justice, equality and fraternity. It is also our obligation to see that these values are preserved. This can only be possible if we all mix with each other and exchange our views.
* India is a vast country, at whose core lies the ethos of unity in diversity. And I am reminded of this every time I come to St Xavier’s.
* I feel like I am a member of this sweet world. Everybody should love everybody.
* Now we are all concerned about losing this – whether our democratic rights, our fundamental rights, our constitutional rights will be preserved or not.
* I feel that they will be preserved if we are together – our democratic rights, fundamental rights, freedom of speech, property rights, education rights, etc.
* We are facing a crisis wherein laws are being made to divide and rule. But we do not like it. We want people of all religions and castes to live together.
* We should never let go of our loving attitude, that defines us as human beings.
* Let us take a pledge today for all citizens to be together, talk together, be united. Let us love all religions equally.
* Therefore I pray to Jesus Christ and Mother Mary that we are able to achieve all of this.
* Our minds should be without fear, our heads should be held high, we should not bow our heads to any abuse. Saare jahan se achha, yeh Hindustan hamara.
* Governments may come and governments may go, but democracy must go on forever, our Constitution will go on forever.
* Jesus Christ must bless us all with His love. The country should be united. This is our prayer to Jesus in this hour of crisis.
