Mamata attacks Centre over cancellation of Christmas as national holiday

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday targeted the Union government for cancelling the occasion of Christmas as a national holiday.

"Previously the occasion of Christmas was considered as a national holiday. But the current Union government had cancelled that. Here in West Bengal, we have not cancelled a single holiday. Rather we have increased the number of scheduled holidays. Everyone wants to celebrate the day with their family members. We have regards for all religious festivals," the Chief Minister said while addressing an event "Kolkata Christmas Inauguration" at Allen Park in Kolkata.

Speaking at the event, Banerjee once again launched a scathing attack against the BJP over the Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on B.R. Ambedkar.

“I was really shocked by the comments made about Ambedkar," she said.

Later in the evening while addressing a Christmas event organised by Kolkata's iconic St. Xavier's College, the Chief Minister again attacked the BJP both over the Ambedkar comments and the deletion of Christmas from the list of national holidays.

"I strongly believe while religion is personal to each, festivals are universal. That is why I have declared holidays on religious occasions. In a country like India, we cannot enforce one particular path or way of life. Unity in diversity is the root of Indian philosophy," the Chief Minister said.

Banerjee said on Wednesday that as the Indian Parliament reflected on 75 years of the Constitution, the Union Home Minister chose to tarnish this occasion with derogatory remarks against Ambedkar and that "too in the temple of democracy".

"This is a display of BJP's CASTEIST and ANTI-DALIT mindset. If this is how they behave after being reduced to 240 seats, imagine the damage they would've inflicted if their dream of 400 seats had been realised. They'd have rewritten history to entirely erase Ambedkar's contributions," the Chief Minister added.

IANS