Don’t succumb to unfounded fears of BJP being religiously intolerant: Goa minister

SHILLONG, June 16: Goa minister and BJP leader Nilesh Cabral on Friday drew parallel between the political and religious similarities between Meghalaya and Goa, asking the people not to give in to unfounded fears of the BJP being religiously intolerant but to progress together with the rest of the country as one.
Addressing the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat programme at the State BJP Office here, Cabral, while giving the lie to the allegations against the party, said that Goa, which is a Christian state, is prospering without any discrimination based on caste, creed or religion under the saffron regime.
On similar lines, he said, Meghalaya, also a Christian-majority state, should not fear or give in to various allegations against the BJP of being religiously intolerant, and progress together with the rest of the country.
Meanwhile, Meghalaya BJP president Ernest Mawrie said that the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat programme enhances and strengthens the bonding and understanding between citizens.
“We are happy to organise the Goa Diwas today and share a day of bonding between Goa and Meghalaya as part of the Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat programme,” Mawrie said, adding “Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat Programme professes a unified India is a great India.” It may be mentioned that ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 31, 2015, on the occasion of the 140th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
The initiative aims at strengthening the unity and integrity of India by enhanced understanding and bonding between the states and union territories with their different culture, traditions and practices.