SAD holds separate Gurpurb function, claims credit for Kartarpur corridor
SULTANPUR LODHI : The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) held their own function at the Bhai Mardana Hall in the complex of Gurdwara Ber Sahib to mark the 549th Parkash Utsav celebrations of the first Sikh master, Guru Nanak.
Union ministers Hardeep Singh Puri, Mahesh Sharma, Punjab governor VP Singh Badnore and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal attended the function and also addressed the gathering. These dignitaries jointly released commemorative coins of gold and silver that the SGPC has prepared to mark the occasion which has pictures of Gurudwara Nankana Sahib on one side and the Gurdwara Ber Sahib on the other.
SAD CLAIMS CREDIT FOR KARTARPUR CORRIDOR
Sukhbir thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking the initiative to establish the Kartarpur corridor on the demand of the Sikh community. He also thanked his alliance party BJP for developing Sultanpur Lodhi as a heritage city besides creating “Pind Baba Nanak Da” on 100 acres.
“The SAD has been taking up some important matters related to Sikhism, including Kartarpur corridor with the Union government for decades and our efforts have paid off,” Sukhbir added. Sharma read out PM Narendra Modi’s message on the occasion which emphasised that the Guru’s 550th anniversary would be celebrated the world over in a befitting manner. Puri highlighted that Sultanpur Lodhi will also be developed as smart city.
SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal thanked Sukhbir and Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal for their contribution to making the Kartarpur corridor a reality.
DON’T INDULGE IN CREDIT WAR: BADAL
Former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, who did not participate in the function, and left the city after paying obeisance at Gurdwara Ber Sahib advised all stakeholders to ensure that there was no credit war on the Kartarpur corridor. “All political parties should rise above the temptation of engaging in a race for credit on this shared aspiration of every Sikh. All of this has happened because of the blessings of the Gurus,” he said.