Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a national level meeting to commemorate the 400th birth anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur, calling for efforts to highlight various facets and contributions of the ninth Sikh Guru for the younger generation.
As national level programmes will be held through the year, it has provided an opportunity for the BJP-led central government to reach out to the community which felt alienated due to the ongoing farmers protests outside Delhi borders, and in the state. The BJP leaders in Punjab have been coming under attack and their convoys gheraoed by farmers as mark of protest. As majority of the farmers in the state are Sikh, the community sentiment had turned against the Centre's laws. Various Sikh bodies including SGPC—the body looking after management of Sikh religious places in Punjab and other states and Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee—have been pro-actively supporting the farmers' agitation.
As the event holds cultural and religious significance for the Sikhs and the border state, the Amarinder Singh government has also been proactively highlighting the activities it will undertake for the event. It has been extending invitation to the faithful to participate in the events.
Elections will be held in Punjab next year, and are likely to be multi-cornered. Congress, Akali Dal, BJP and AAP will be contesting on all the seats independently. Earlier, Akali Dal and BJP contested polls in alliance as both had different vote banks. Akali had predominantly rural voters, and the BJP urban. However, split in their alliance over the farmers bill would mean both contesting in all seats and against each other. This four-cornered contest will make the state elections a keenly contested one.
The national level meeting chaired by Modi was attended by former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur, Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and his party colleague Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Leader of Opposition, Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, Home Minister Amit Shah, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh also participated in the virtual meeting. Shah said that collective efforts should be made to ensure that the message of Guru Tegh Bahadur reaches out to all.
Addressing the meeting, the prime minister said that the occasion of the birth anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur was a spiritual privilege as well as a national duty. He shared teaching and lessons learnt from the life of Guru Tegh Bahadur, and highlighted that it was important to make the younger generation understand these lessons and noted that through digital means, it is easier to reach out to the younger generation world over to spread the message.
The Prime Minister said that the Sikh Guru tradition is a complete life philosophy in itself. It is the privilege and good fortune of the government that it has got the opportunity to celebrate the 550th Prakash Purab of Guru Nanak Dev, the 400th Prakash Purab of Guru Tegh Bahadur and the 350th Prakash Purab of Guru Gobind Singh. Modi said various activities will be organised throughout the year. He said that the organisation of activities should be such that not only the life and teachings of ninth Guru but of the entire Guru Tradition is propagated world over.
Hailing the social service done by Sikh community and gurdwaras all over the world, the prime minister said that proper research and documentation on this aspect of the Sikh tradition should be done.
