Two days before Punjab polls, PM meets delegation of Sikh leaders

TNI Team

| Updated: 18 February, 2022 5:58 pm IST

NEW DELHI: Just two days ahead of the Punjab assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hosted prominent Sikh leaders at his residence. During the meeting, he heaped praises on the community for their contribution towards India’s progress and propserity.

Senior Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa was also the part of the delegation that met the PM. In a video of the meeting shared by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the Sikh representatives can be seen gifting ‘kirpan’ to the PM.

Some of the other noted Sikh leaders who met the PM include Harmeet Singh Kalka (President, Delhi Gurudwara Committee), Ravinder Singh Ahuja (President, Sikh Forum), Mahant Karamjit Singh (President, Sewapanthi, Yamuna Nagar), Jathedar Baba Sahib Singh ji (Kar Sewa, Anandpur Sahib), Surinder Singh, Namdhari Darbar (Bheni Sahib), Baba Jassa Singh (Shiromani Akali Budha Dal, Panjwa Takht), Dr Harbhajan Singh (Damdami Taksal, Chowk Mehta), and Manjeet Singh Bhatia (President of Shri Guru Singh Sabha, Indore).

The delegation said the constitution of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to re-investigate cases pertaining to the 1984 Sikh massacre is a significant move that will restore justice to the victim families and also bring them closure.

Harmeet Singh Kalka, President, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, praised the PM after the meeting. “The PM has done many things – the constitution of SIT, the arrest of former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar and opening of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor – to honour the sentiments of the Sikh community.” Kalka also clarified that the meeting had no political agenda.

Manjit Singh Bhatia, President of Singh Sabha Gurdwara Sahib, said the PM has honoured the Sikhs globally. “Wherever he goes, he embraces the Sikhs because he knows how much they have sacrificed for the nation and how dedicated they are to the spirit of service. The opening of the Kartarpur Corridor is a welcome step,” said Bhatia.

The meeting of Sikh religious leaders with the PM is being viewed as a significant step in context of the Punjab Assembly polls. Punjab will be voting to elect its new government on February 20, 2022.