CM attends State-level Pre-Christmas Celebrations at Rangpo

KUNAL RAI

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.