GANGTOK,: Chief Minister PS Golay on Monday attended the State-level
Pre-Christmas Celebrations themed ‘Sikkim Rejoice’ at Rangpo playground.
The
celebration had the presence of former MLA Krishna Rai as the special guest
along with Speaker MN Sherpa, deputy Speaker Raj Kumari Thapa, ministers, MLAs,
guests and others. Bishop Stephen Lepcha and keynote speaker Dr. Acharya Vikash
Massey from Rajasthan were also present along with pastors and members of
various churches across Sikkim.
Speaking
on the occasion, the Chief Minister extended his Merry Christmas greetings to
the gathering and guests. I am here to listen and learn from guest speaker Dr.
Acharya Vikash Massey so that I can imbibe his teachings for implementation in
the welfare of our State and people, he said.
Golay
called upon the people to follow the path of Lord Jesus Christ for the holistic
welfare of Sikkim. We need to follow the path of our holy saints and practise
their teachings in our daily lives to foster brotherhood, peace and unity among
all, he said.
The Chief
Minister thanked the Christian community of Sikkim for making the SKM register
a thumping victory in the 2024 Assembly elections. I am blessed to have your
support and blessings in the Assembly elections and I will work tirelessly
towards true unification of the State irrespective of caste, community and
religion, he said.
The Chief
Minister reaffirmed the harmonious coexistence of Sikkim's diverse communities,
highlighting the respect and freedom granted to all religions and beliefs.
In his
welcome address, Chief Minister’s political secretary Jacob Khaling expressed
that Sikkim is witnessing a golden era under Golay’s leadership as all the
communities and religions in the State are fostering equally. He informed that
from next year, the pre-Christmas State-level celebrations would be held in the
second week of December in consultation with the religious leaders.
Representing
the Christian community of Sikkim, Darjeeling and Bhutan, Bishop Stephen Lepcha
presented the letter of Apostolic Blessings of His Holiness Pope Francis,
Vatican City to the Chief Minister.
Similarly,
the chief patron and patrons of the State-level pre-Christmas celebration
committee and the churches felicitated the Chief Minister and his spouse for
their unwavering support to all the religious communities of the State.
Minister
GT Dhungel is the chief patron while MLAs LN Sharma and Satish Chandra Rai are
the patrons.
Later,
keynote speaker Dr. Acharya Vikash Massey gave a spiritual talk to the
gathering.
Besides
cultural presentations, the event had a brief performance from renowned singer
Karna Das in the afternoon. He went on to lead the musical extravaganza in the
evening.
