Inaugurating the Kolkata Christmas Festival at Allen Park on Wednesday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addressed the issue of intolerance in the country.
Archbishop Thomas D'Souza and Bishop of Kolkata, Ashoke Biswas were among those present on the occasion. The festival is supported by West Bengal State Tourism.
Speaking on the occasion she said, "We ask Lord Jesus to give us tolerance. We may not like someone or something but we cannot disrespect them ...We are one. India is a country of unity in diversity. Swami Vivekananda said unity is strength, divided we fall ... May Jesus Christ be our guiding star in this era of intolerance."
In the recent past, the Chief Minister has time and again condemned the growing incidents of intolerance in the country, from Dadri lynching case where a Muslim man accused of eating and storing cow beef was hacked to death by a frenzied mob, to coming in support of megastars of Indian cinema like Aamir Khan and Shahrukh Khan after they expressed their views in public and were harassed and jumped upon by the Hindutva brigade active in social media.
