Hry to hold function to mark 400th Prakash Purb of Guru Tegh Bahadur
Darpan News Desk IANS, 19 Apr, 2022 12:26 PM
Chandigarh, April 6 (IANS) A state-level function will be held in Panipat on April 24 to mark the 400th Prakash Purb of Guru Tegh Bahadur, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Wednesday.
"In the one-day programme, devotees from across Haryana, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh are expected to participate in large numbers. The function aims to spread the message of communal harmony and brotherhood as preached by Guru Tegh Bahadur," Khattar told the media here.
Guru Tegh Bahadur, also known as Hind Di Chadar, stands as a shining symbol of the country's great pluralistic tradition and secularism, and his supreme sacrifice forms an important part of India's history.
According to the Chief Minister, Haryana shares a special bond not only with Guru Tegh Bahadur but all 10 Sikh gurus as most of them travelled across the state.
The Chief Minister said the state earlier celebrated the 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh as well as the 550th Prakash Purab of Guru Nanak Dev.
The Chief Minister said since March last year, as part of the celebrations of the Prakash Purab of Guru Tegh Bahadur, various religious and cultural programmes have been started in some parts of the country. However, due to the pandemic, most of the programmes in Haryana got postponed.
"Now the state government has decided to organise a state-level function on April 24," he said.
The Chief Minister, who launched a devotional song composed by the Department of Information and Public Relations for the event, said invitations have been sent to renowned 'ragis' and 'katha vachaks' of international repute to attend the programme.
Sanjay Bhatia, the convener of the event management committee, said no previous government has ever thought of organising programmes highlighting the spiritual teachings and philosophies of the great gurus and saints.
Earlier, Dhesi sent a letter, signed by over 100 British MPs and Lords, to Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the ongoing farmers' protests, asking him to raise this matter with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi when they next liaise.
The Chief Minister told the media here that for more than a year since the Central government had brought three agriculture laws for the benefit of farmers, especially small and marginal ones, unfortunately, some farmer unions had been protesting on the Delhi borders.
While the Centre's announcement to repeal three farm laws is seen as a political decision with eye on forthcoming assembly polls in five states, the BJP claims that it has nothing to do with elections as the party has won many states after laws were passed by the Parliament.
On January 12 this year, the Supreme Court had stayed the implementation of the three farm laws after scores of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh pitched their tents on various Delhi borders in protest against the three laws.
A nine-member committee of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), the consortium of protesting farmers' bodies, will be meeting on Saturday, and it is likely to put forth four main demands. The meeting will also decide whether the SKM will go ahead with the originally announced 'March Towards Delhi' programme on November 26.
Congress legislator and Punjab unit party president Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday said the minimum support price (MSP) is the bigger issue than farm laws as it is the lifeline of farmers.
