SAD president Sukhbir Badal on Tuesday announced that the Union Home Minister Amit Shah had assured the party that the Centre would sympathetically consider its appeal to reconstruct the Guru Ravidas Temple at its original location in Tughlakhabad and that action on the same would be taken in due course.
Sukhbir, along with his Union Minister wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal, called on the Union Home Minister to apprise him about the century-old temple’s demolition which had hurt the sentiments of the Ravidasia community.
“The Home Minister had assured the SAD that he would look into the matter and the Centre would take action keeping in minds the sentiments of the Ravidasia community,” said Sukhbir.
“This includes taking up the case with the Supreme Court also. We are grateful for this assurance and hope this issue will now be resolved soon,” he said.Briefing Shah about the case, Sukhbir said that as per historical record, the temple’s land was granted to the community by Sultan Sikander Lodhi. “It seemed the managing committee of the temple could not represent itself adequately in court due to which it lost the case,” he said.Sukhbir told the Union Home Minister that the SAD was committed to rebuilding of the temple at the same spot as per the wishes of the Ravidasia community and had already offered to do so at the party’s expense.
“The ‘baani’ of Sri Guru Ravidas ji is inextricable part of Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji Maharaj and is also part of the composite culture of Punjab. The venerable saint is highly respected and revered by the Sikh community as well as Punjabis.
There is a feeling that the temple is a symbol of cultural heritage which should be revived by rebuilding it at the same spot. It is because of this reason that we have approached you to resolve the issue at the earliest,” he said adding that the Home Minister assured them that he would take appropriate steps to resolve the issue.