‘Successive govts have ignored Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s legacy’
SANGRUR : Residents of Badrukhan village in Sangrur district have accused the government of ignoring the legacy of Maharaja Ranjit Singh by failing to organise a state-level event on his birth anniversary.
Born on November 13, 1780, the Maharaja is believed to have been born in Badrukhan. This was also the native village of his mother Raj Kaur.
However, some historians contend that he was born in Gujranwala in Pakistan.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) government had occasionally organised state-level events to mark the occasion. In 1997, the then chief minister Parkash Singh Badal had promised to install a statue of the Maharaja in Badrukhan. However, 20 years on, the promise remains unfulfilled. Besides this, the SAD-BJP government had also promised to construct a park in the village. This was materialised in 2014.
Taking a dig at the SAD, Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Sunam, Aman Arora, said, “The Akalis had promised to provide a regime like Maharaja Ranjit Singh, but they have even failed to install a statue at his birth place. They have been using the name of our martyrs and kings to garner votes.”
However, the SAD has asked the Captain Amarinder Singhled government to complete the remaining projects.
“The government should have organised a function on the Maharaja’s birth anniversary. It should also install his statue in Badrukhan,” said SAD’S Rajya Sabha member Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa.
He added that he will raise the issue during the meeting called by the CM on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, local Congress leader Daman Thind Bajwa, who contested the assembly polls from Sunam, said, “Due to some unavoidable circumstances, the function could not be organised this time. However, in the future, we will organise events in memory of our warriors.”
Nevertheless, despite nonchalance of repeated governments, residents have constructed a gurdwara in the memory of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Every year on his birth anniversary they organise a function. This year won’t be any different for them.