By IndiaTomorrow.net,
New Delhi, 06 Dec 2014: Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance government had launched Swachh Bharat Abhiyan on October 2, the birth anniversary of Father of the Nation – Mahatma Gandhi. Indira Gandhi’s death anniversary on October 31 saw the government celebrating Sardar Patel’s birthday and now Christmas Day – December 25 – would be celebrated as the birthday of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The latest move has not gone down well with the Christian community leaders who are already aghast at the burning of a Delhi church.
October 2 – the birth anniversary Mahatma Gandhi – was celebrated as a cleanliness day and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was launched. Instead of remembering his historical contribution and his role in the great freedom movement that has institutionalized democracy in this country, the national media was abuzz with discussions on how to keep our surroundings and locality clean, no doubt absolutely a great idea. Instead of discussions on how to inculcate values of freedom movement and apprise the youths about its ethos, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to mark the day as mere cleanliness day.
It seems that after attempting to appropriate the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel, the Modi government has now set an eye on Christmas Day and declared to celebrate the day as Good Governance Day in honour of BJP senior and former PM Vajpayee.
Union minister Rajeev Pratap Rudy on 2nd Dec. announced that BJP will organise seminars to highlight the achievements of the NDA government like Golden Quadrilateral and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana achieved under the leadership of Vajpayee on December 25, prompting prominent Christian leader Father Dominic Emmanuel to ask, “What is more important – Vajpayee’s birthday or Christ’s birthday? He (Modi) knows well that it is Christmas Day. The world celebrates it. It is celebrated not only in India but globally, and it is known as Christmas Day – the birthday of Jesus Christ who gave the message of peace, tranquility and tolerance to this world.”
Talking to IndiaTomorrow.net, Father Emmanuel said: “The way they tried to cut down Mahatma Gandhi to size by celebrating his birthday as cleanliness day and not his jayanti now they are attempting to repeat the same with December 25.”
John Dayal, eminent human rights activist and Christian leader also opposed the government move.
“December 25 will always be Christmas Day. Though I do not see it as an insult to Christians but it reflects the narrow vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Why he is not celebrating it as Raj Dharma day,” civil rights activists John Dayal told IndiaTomorrow.net apparently reminding the former Gujarat chief minister what then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had suggested him during his visit to Gujarat after Godhra riots.
The uproar and controversy has erupted after the BJP decided to celebrate Vajpayee’s birthday as “Good Governance Day” from this year onwards. The party has asked its parliamentarians to spend an hour on December 25 in their respective constituency to work for cleanliness as part of the Swachh Bharat programme.
The Prime Minister will himself be going to Varanasi – his Lok Sabha constituency to spend an hour on December 25 to work for ‘Swachhta’ (cleanliness). Former prime minister Vajpayee will turn 90 on December 25. He has been ailing for several years. Vajpayee remains an iconic figure who was appreciated across party lines during his political career and as the NDA government announcing to celebrate his birthday as good governance day has given winds to murmurs that now the saffron outfits is now attempting to eat up another important day from the calendar of history.
Reacting over the issue, Nusrat Ali, Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind said they are imposing cultural nationalism on the country. “They are continuously working on their cultural agenda. The government seems to have assigned this job to some ministers. While Prime Minister Modi and Arun Jaitely talk about development and good governance, Smriti Irani, Uma Bharti and others are working on other agenda,” he said.
On October 31, the day ex-prime minister Indira Gandhi fell to bullets of her bodyguards in 1984, the Modi government celebrated the 139th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel by flagging-off the Run for Unity marathon at Vijay Chowk. Not only that, in their attempt to “stifle” the legacy of late Indira Gandhi, Modi and his ministers even failed to turn up at the Shakti Sthal to pay tribute to her.
