By IndiaTomorrow.net,
New Delhi, 21 Dec 2014: “The clumsy action of Ministry of HRD to downplay the significance of Birthday of Christ by declaring December 25, 2014 as “Good Governance Day” and purporting to hold various activities in the Universities, College, Schools must be deprecated,” said Socialist Party of India.
“BJP is welcome to celebrate its senior leader and former prime minister Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee’s birthday, but it does not behave to use its governmental authority to downgrade the importance of the unique day, not only for Christians but all humans,” Dr. Sandeep Pandey, National Vice President and Spokesperson of Socialist Party said.
HRD Minister Smriti Irani, following uproar over a controversial circular asking schools to conduct extracurricular activities on the day, earlier this week clarified that the government has not asked schools to remain open on the Christmas Day. She also said the day will remain a public holiday.
In October also, the central government of BJP had launched Clean India Campaign on 2nd Oct – the Gandhi Jayanti – prompting the opposition to criticize the government move.
“Earlier also, this government had downgraded Mahatma Gandhi by reducing his Birthday merely into a day for cleanliness. The government even forced the government employees to report in their offices on 2 October, a Gazetted Holiday, negating their right given by the Constitution,” Dr Pandey said.
“The Socialist Party feels that the pro-rich government, knowingly or unknowingly, has taken this decision to suppress the pro-poor message delivered by Jesus Christ. Xmas is the birthday of one of the earliest champions of the poor who openly said, “It is impossible for a rich man to enter the gates of Heaven, just as it is impossible for a camel to pass through the eye of needle”.
“Moreover, this decision of the government could be another push towards its ongoing communal agenda. The Socialist Party demands that the BJP Government should apologize to the nation for downplaying significance of Christmas and, thus, hurting sentiments of Indian citizens, especially the Christian Minority,” he said.
