Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong on Thursday said concluding function of Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival to start after Church service on a Sunday.
Speaking to reporters, Tynsong said, “See if you talk about Sunday or Saturday or Friday see sometimes it happens the last day sometimes it happens it ends on Sunday or maybe the starting it happens on Sunday or Saturday or Friday. Let me just assure the people of the State this is not that we really wanted to do it during Sunday but this is a programme of 3-4 days so it happened that it ended on a Sunday. What we decided is we have already instructed even those organizers for this time since it ended on Sunday let the function start maybe after 3pm in the afternoon of Sunday let it start after the church service.”
“I would appeal to everybody to let us be cool and calm and we will see from next year onwards to calculate the date accordingly so that everybody is happy and everybody is also benefited out of this festival,” he said.
Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh had recently stated that there is a political motive behind opposition against the festival.
On this, Tynsong said there is nothing wrong in people expressing their sentiments about the issue.
“I would like to say that this is the sentimental step because it is so sentimental. People I think you understand well here it is known as a Christian state. Some of our church leaders or even members of the Ngos they have that sentiment, I appreciate that sentiment no doubt about it, from the government side I don’t say it is wrong it is right but for this festival which is going to happen next month I have already told you for the ending part to adjust accordingly, we have decided, we already ask the organizers to start the function only after the church service,” the deputy chief minister said.