Legacy of India's unity must be upheld, says Mamata

Kolkata: On the day when the nation is celebrating the 'bhumi pujan' ceremony of the grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said India has always upheld its legacy of unity in diversity.

"Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Isaai, Aapas mein hain Bhai Bhai! Mera Bharat Mahaan, Mahaan Hamara Hindustan (Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Isaai are our brothers. India is great. Hindustan is great)," Banerjee tweeted.

She also added that India has always upheld the age-old legacy of unity in diversity. "And we must preserve this to our last breath," Banerjee maintained.

Urging one and all to fight to preserve the country's legacy, Banerjee emphasised on the importance of brotherhood between different communities in India.

The Chief Minister had convened a meeting at the Brigade Parade Ground in January 2019 where leaders of all Opposition political parties took part and she had urged them to put up a united fight against the BJP which is trying to disturb India's religious harmony.

In many of her political meetings, she had vehemently criticised the saffron party for trying to control the food habits of people and deciding their dress code.

"They are trying to dictate what others will eat," she had maintained while on another occasion, she had said: "Will you be able to verify someone's nationality based on clothes he or she is wearing?"

In the past few years, Banerjee took a series of steps in spreading the message of communal harmony and peace. It was her government that in 2018 proposed to design the tableau for Independence Day parade in Delhi based on "Akotai Sampriti" (Unity is harmony). But, for reasons unknown, Bengal's tableau was not nominated to be a part of the event.

It was her slogan — "Religion is individual. Festival is for all". Despite various alleged attempts to disturb the state's tradition of peace and harmony, the Chief Minister's steps in making people aware of the need for brotherhood among all communities garnered an immense response. She often said people from different parts of the country stay in Bengal and also assured them that they will never face any sort of trouble in continuing to live here as her government respects the Constitution of the country.

For the first time in the country's history, a statewide one-month-long programme was organised to mark the completion of the sixth year of Banerjee's government based on the theme of "Akotai Sampriti".

Giving equal importance to all religions, Banerjee regularly takes part in most festivals in different parts of the state.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined the 'bhoomi pujan' rituals and laid the foundation stone for Ram temple at a grand ceremony in Ayodhya on Wednesday.

The wait of centuries has ended, Modi said after performing the groundbreaking ceremony for a temple at the spot where many devout Hindus believe Lord Ram was born.