Rashtriya Janta Dal president Lalu Prasad on Wednesday extended Christmas greetings to the people of the country and lauded the contributions made in the sphere of education by the "Christian community".
The message of the former Bihar chief minister, who is serving sentences in fodder scam cases at Ranchi in adjoining Jharkhand, was posted on his official Twitter handle which is operated by his close aides.
In the Hindi tweet, ending with '#HappyChristmas', Prasad said, "Our Constitution grants the freedom to each individual to practice the religion of one's own choice. Christian community has done a commendable job in spread of education, especially among women, thereby contributing towards making people achha insaan (good human beings)."
"May love, peace and harmony prevail in the country. Best wishes for Christmas to all," he added.
The message also carries an old video footage of Prasad, a staunch critic of the Sangh Parivar --of which the BJP is the political offshoot-- rubbishing allegations of religious conversions levelled at Christian missionaries.
"Christian community has done a fantastic job in spread of education, especially education of women. Kerala is a glorious example. Schools named after Mount Carmel and St Joseph are running across the country and prominent citizens get their children admitted to these," Prasad says in the video.
"Nobody has ever heard of any complaints of religious conversions being attempted at these institutions. These people seem to have a problem with whosoever tries to do something good," Prasad adds, in an apparent reference to pro-Hindutva elements.
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