Festivities decked the halls of the Delhi Vidhan Sabha today as Delhi Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal led annual Christmas celebrations in the assembly premises. The event saw Christmas carols spread merry all around with traditional Konkani carols being performed by church choirs along with Hindi and English choirs. The CM wished everyone on the occasion and said, Merry Christmas to the whole country, I pray from the bottom of my heart that the New Year is abundantly prosperous for all of us. Shri Arvind Kejriwal further stated that India is a bouquet of religions and cultures, thus we decided to uphold India’s unique identity by celebrating festivals of all faiths at the Vidhan Sabha. The CM further said that the Delhi Government is well prepared to deal with another COVID-19 wave on the off chance that it strikes and urged people not to worry. Christian religious leaders and community members heaped praises on the Kejriwal Government’s policies and governance model. It is noteworthy that the Delhi Government will be sending senior citizens to Velankanni on free pilgrimage under Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojna on January 7, 2022. Archbishop Anil Joseph T Couto said that he wholeheartedly thanks CM Arvind Kejriwal for respecting all religions and celebrating all festivals, and this celebration has brought joy in the Christian community.
The Delhi Legislative Assembly kicked off Christmas festivities in style today. The entire premises was engulfed in merry as carols echoed all over. Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal joined the event as the Chief Guest. The event was organised as part of Delhi Legislative Assembly’s Christmas and New Year Celebrations under the guidance of Speaker Shri Ram Niwas Goel. Leading the celebrations, the Speaker felicitated CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal as well as His Grace Anil Joseph T Couto, His Grace Kuriakose Bharanikulangara and Rt Rev Subodh C Mondal. The carolling and choirs were led by several famous groups like the Centenary Methodist Church Choir, Davids Harp Choir, Father Arres Furtado Goan Carol Group, DCA, Ebenezer Marthoma Church Choir, Delhi Orthodox Dioceses among several others. The event saw the attendance of esteemed members of the Christian community of Delhi-NCR in large numbers as well. Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal said, “I extend my heartfelt greetings to all the people of Delhi and the whole country on the occasion of Christmas and New Year. I pray from the bottom of my heart that the new year is abundantly prosperous for all of us. This is the 7th consecutive year of Christmas celebrations in the Vidhan Sabha. When we came to power in 2015, we had decided that our country is a bouquet of all kinds of religions and cultures. We decided that we must celebrate this unique aspect of our country and started celebrating all festivals in the Vidhan Sabha premises. In that direction, this is the 7th annual Christmas celebration. We couldn’t celebrate here last year due to COVID-19 outbreak.”
He added, “It has been almost two years now that the whole of humanity is fighting on all fronts against COVID. We Delhiites have fought very bravely against the pandemic. The country saw 2 waves but we saw 4 fatal waves. The fourth wave that we saw in April was very tragic, it took away so many lives. I don’t think there’s any family it hadn’t touched, someone or the other had to bear with the disease. Throughout April, I kept awake at night with my phone in my hand answering SOS calls. We did whatever we could but the good part about it was that the community came along to help. The pandemic was larger than the government machinery but the community did not falter in helping us. It wasn’t just the people of Delhi who came forward but lots of people throughout the country and even from all over the world. This was the main reason why we could take control of the situation.”Addressing the Omicron variant situation the CM stated, “Now we are hearing news regarding the Omicron strain, which is spreading very quickly and has already arrived in India. Several cases have also been discovered in most major cities in the country. The updates from Europe state that since this virus is so easily transmitted, it could be overwhelming to deal with once it spreads. However, I want to assure you all that the Delhi Government is doing everything in its capacity to keep the situation under control. Ever since the news of the Omicron strain arrived, I have been taking repeated review meetings with all concerned departments so that we are well prepared to deal with the probable threat. It’s also being said that this particular strain is not as dangerous – has mild symptoms, but spreads easily. So there’s no need to stress over it or be afraid. We will all work together to deal with whatever befalls us as a unit. We were able to tide over the horrors of the second wave, so I am sure that we will also be able to control another possible wave with the grace of God.”
He added, “I hope that the wave doesn’t strike Delhi, for it is very possible for us to avoid it with the vaccination numbers and health facilities that we have prepared. We found out through the sero survey in which 96% people were found to have antibodies for coronavirus in Delhi, which reduces the chances of catching the virus significantly. Despite this, in case of a spread, we are prepared with all the resources. We have upgraded our health facilities after learning our lesson from all that we had lacked during the second wave – increased beds, oxygen arrangements, medicines, and more. Hence we are well prepared to deal with another wave, on the off chance that it strikes Delhi.” He concluded by saying, “I would like to take today’s occasion to pray to God for health, happiness and peace for everyone in this country. I pray for the feeling of brotherhood to grow among our people. This is our motto: ‘Insaan Ka Insaan Se Ho Bhaichara, Yahi Paigaam Humaara’. Once again, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.”Archbishop His Grace Anil Jospeh T Couto said, “I wholeheartedly thank CM Arvind Kejriwal for respecting all religions and celebrating festivals in such a grand manner. This Christmas celebration has brought a lot of joy in the Christian community. Pray to Jesus Christ to bless the Delhi Government wholeheartedly for the manner in which they have been working to uplift the underprivileged.”Christian pilgrims to head for Velankanni in January 2022 under Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojna. On the instructions of Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal, Velankanni pilgrimage has been included in the Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojna. Passengers going from Delhi to Velankanni will be provided a seat in an AC three-tier train by the Delhi Government. The first train carrying passengers from Delhi to Velankanni will leave on 07 January 2022.