Stating that the main role of the government is to protect the lives and properties of the general public, Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh has assured to work for the welfare of the state irrespective of caste, creeds, communities and religion.
The chief minister stated this during the observance ceremony of Sadbhavana Diwas at the Banquet Hall of the 1st Battalion Manipur Rifles on Thursday which was organised by the state government.
Attending the function as chief guest, Biren Singh said that Manipur is like mini-India, inhabited by different communities with different cultures and traditions for ages. In order to maintain peace and communal harmony, any kind of differences should be phased out and one must march forward with a sense of unity in diversity to make one Manipur within one India, the CM added.
To conduct the observance ceremony of the Sadbhavana Diwas is very important for a country like India which is resided by different communities, he said and expressed his desire to make the observance more meaningful with every citizen following its basic theme of Sadbhavana in a real sense.
Appealing not to misuse freedom of speech and expression, he said that exercising freedom of speech and expression beyond the ambit of the constitution causes tension in the society. People should refrain from such activities, the CM said and advised them to come up with their grievances in the right forum and through their elected representatives to address it at the earliest.
He also clarified that Sadbhavana Diwas is observed every year on August 20, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister (L) Rajiv Gandhi. However, this year, the Diwas was observed today as August 20 falls on Saturday which is a holiday for Government Offices and August 19 2022 is also a gazetted holiday on account of Janmashtami festival, the CM said.
Minister of Power, Forest and Environment, Thongam Biswajit, who attended the function as president stated that the main objective behind the observance of Sadbhavana Diwas is to promote national integration and communal harmony among people and to refrain from any form of violence. On the occasion, he recalled the distinctive thoughts and ideals of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and added that the latter had always worked for the peaceful co-existence among different communities and making a strong united India during his dynamic leadership.
He continued that the state government, under the leadership of chief minister N. Biren Singh, has always worked to bring equal development in both hills and valley areas through various initiatives. The Government has left no stone unturned to bridge the gap in development across the state and to maintain the aged old relationship among different communities, he added. The Minister stressed that misunderstanding and mistrust arising between any community could be redressed through political dialogues which is imperative for maintaining a healthy relationship and peaceful co-existence.
As a part of the observance ceremony, Biren led the other dignitaries and officials and took a pledge to work for the emotional oneness and harmony of all the people of India regardless of caste, region, religion or language. The pledge further read to resolve all differences through dialogue and constitutional means without resorting to violence.
Cabinet ministers, Member of Parliament, Members of Legislative Assembly, chief secretary, director general of police and senior civil and police officials also attended the programme among others.
Artistes of Shri Shri Bal Mukunda Dev Government Music College, Imphal performed the opening and closing song as a part of the observance.
It may be mentioned that the theme of Sadbhavana is to promote National Integration and Communal Harmony among people of all religions, languages and regions. The idea behind observance is to eschew violence and to promote goodwill among the people.
