Amarinder asks SGPC to join govt celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev birth anniversary

The Punjab government on Tuesday asked the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the apex gurdwara body, to join it in celebrating the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh asked the SGPC to participate in the organising committee meeting to evolve consensus on various issues relating to the celebrations.

The request was made when an SGPC delegation, led by president Gobind Singh Longowal, called on the chief minister on Tuesday to extend an invite for a mega event planned by them to celebrate the historic occasion in November.

Amarinder Singh assured the SGPC of all logistical support for their function, which he said would attend along with his cabinet colleagues, legislators and parliamentarians, according to an official release.

The chief minister asked the SGPC president to attend the meeting of the state-level organising committee, which would be convened by him shortly to take a collective decision on the main event.

He asked the SGPC to keep an open mind on the issue of the main event, pointing out that the 'jathedar' (high priest) of the Akal Takht Sahib had already appealed to the SGPC and the state government to commemorate the historic event jointly in order to spread the message of universal love, harmony and religious tolerance, as propagated by Guru Nanak.

The chief minister said he would request Union Home Minister Amit Shah to convene a meeting of the national organising committee to arrive at a broad consensus for giving final touches to the entire programme.

He also assured the delegation that the ongoing infrastructure and development projects would be completed well within the time frame set for the purpose.

On the request of Akali leader Bibi Jagir Kaur, the chief minister asked the PWD minister to work out an action plan to widen few remaining roads leading to Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala.

Noting that the celebration was a lifetime opportunity for all, Amarinder Singh reiterated the need to cut across political, social and religious lines to commemorate the mega event collectively.

The state government had chalked out an elaborate programme, inviting eminent personalities of different religions, academicians, Sikh scholars and other to attend this mega event, he said.