Guru's birth anniversary: Impasse ends as Pb govt, SAD agree to attend each other's events

The impasse over the joint celebrations of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev ended with the state government and the SAD on Wednesday announcing to attend the events organised by each other in Sulatanpur Lodhi and Dera Baba Nanak.

The development took place during the special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha convened on Wednesday to commemorate the birth anniversary of the Sikh Guru.

After moving a resolution, resolving to carry forward Guru Nanak Dev's message of tolerance and compassion, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had requested former CM Parkash Singh Badal to commemorate the occasion on a common platform, rising above political considerations.

Responding to it, former CM Parkash Singh Badal called for "a civilised approach based on politics of compassion, consensus and conciliation to address social, religious or political conflicts facing the country".

Badal advised both the treasury and opposition benches to "shun politics of bitter confrontation, mutual bickering and mudslinging".

State minister Charanjit Singh Channi in the House urged the SAD members and the SGPC with "folded hands" to join the events organised by the state government to give a message of unity.

Channi also assured that state government representatives would also join the celebrations organised by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).

Senior Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia assured the treasury benches that all party MLAs would join the events organised by the state government at Sultanpur Lodhi on November 10 or 11.

Majithia also urged members of the ruling party to attend the events on November 9 at Dera Baba Nanak and November 12 in Sultanpur Lodhi.

Earlier, Congress MLA Harminder Singh Gill took a swipe at the SGPC for setting up a separate stage at Sultanpur Lodhi for the celebrations.

He claimed that the SGPC would pay over Rs 10 crore to a company for setting up a 'pandal' at Sultanpur Lodhi over 1.5 acres whereas the state government would spend only Rs 4.50 crore on the stage over 26 acres.

AAP MLA Sarabjir Kaur Manuke also questioned the decision of holding two separate stages.

The Punjab government and the SGPC had been at loggerheads over the issue of the joint celebrations.

The SGPC has set up a separate stage at a stadium near Gurdwara Ber Sahib in Sultanpur Lodhi while the state government set up its own 'pandal' near a "tent city" there.

Moreover, the SGPC will manage the stage at Dera Baba Nanak for the inaugural ceremony of the Kartarpur corridor, to be presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 9.

A Punjab minister a few days ago had taken strong exception to the stage set up by the Centre for the inauguration of the Kartarpur corridor.

The Punjab CM too had accused the SAD of "politicising" the celebrations and charged it with obstructing the joint celebrations.