Punjab Government will invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to preside over a seminar in the national Capital on the life, philosophy and teachings of Guru Gobind Singh as a part of year-long celebrations commemorating his 350th Parkash Utsav across the country.
The decision was taken by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal during a meeting to review the arrangements for commemorating the 350th Parkash Utsav of Sikhs’ tenth master on Sunday.
Badal said that he would personally write to Modi requesting him to preside over a national seminar at Vigyan Bhawan which is likely to be held between November 15 and 30.
He also asked all legislators of the SAD-BJP alliance, along with the president and general secretary of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), to personally call on the Prime Minister next week requesting him to preside over the event.
Badal said that Modi’s participation in the seminar would further strengthen the ethos of peace, communal harmony and brotherhood across the country towards which Sri Guru Gobind Singh had made unparalleled contribution.
He also set up a sub-committee comprising MPs of the alliance along with the representatives from Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and DSGMC to give final touches to the celebrations during the event.
Badal approved a sum of Rs5 lakh each for eight seminars to be held in different universities or institutions across the country to disseminate the legacy of Guru Gobind Singh.
A series of seminars would be organised on the life and philosophy of Guru Gobind Singh at International Centre of Sikh Studies, Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib, New Delhi, on September 16-17, Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University, Fatehgarh Sahib, on October 6-7, Panjab University, Chandigarh, on October 13-14.
Seminars would also be organised at National library, Kolkata, on October 22-23, Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University, Nanded (Maharashtra) on October 28, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, on November 2-3, Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa College, Mumbai, on November 16-17, and Punjabi University, Patiala, on November 30 to December 1.
Badal also asked State Chief Secretary Sarvesh Kaushal to depute two officers at Patna Sahib exclusively to keep close liaison with Bihar administration for ensure perfect coordination and timely arrangements.
He also asked both the president SGPC and DSGMC to depute one representative each to work with these Government officials being deputed for the said purpose.
Meanwhile, all the members in the meeting under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister adopted and passed a unanimous resolution hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi “for eulogizing the saga of sacrifice which has been the tradition of Sikh gurus and felicitating the entire countrymen for celebrating 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh besides recalling best thought expressed by Guru to highlight the significance of service by toiling hard during his speech on the 70th Independence Day from the Red Fort on August 15”.
In another resolution passed unanimously by the members of SAD-BJP, SGPC and DSGMC present in the meeting also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking the much needed decision to prune 212 names from 324 strong black list of the Union of India.
The resolution said that this initiative on the part of the Central Government would be instrumental in assuaging the bruised feelings and tormented psyche of Sikh community and their families.