Govt ready to share stage with SGPC, says Channi

Even as the Punjab government has already announced to celebrate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak on November 12 by organising a state-level function on its own stage at Sultanpur Lodhi, tourism and cultural affairs minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Saturday said the government is not averse to attending the function organised by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).

Even as the Punjab government has already announced to celebrate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak on November 12 by organising a state-level function on its own stage at Sultanpur Lodhi, tourism and cultural affairs minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Saturday said the government is not averse to attending the function organised by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).

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“The government is ready to attend the SGPC function provided we get an invite. The government has decided to set up its own stage for the state-level function, but we are ready to attend the SGPC function also to demonstrate that the Sikh community is united over the celebrations. Like SGPC, we don’t want to create any confrontation,” Channi said while talking to Hindustan Times on the sidelines of a function to release badges carrying the logo dedicated to Parkash Purb celebrations.

As Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh has announced that only the SGPC’s stage will be the ‘religious stage of the community’ for the celebrations, it is learnt that the government does not want to show itself defying the Takht’s directive.

After an all-party meet chaired by chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday, the government had declared that it will hold the state-level function on its own stage.

Notably, all efforts by the SGPC and the government to reach a consensus over joint celebrations have failed with both sides sticking to their stand and asking each other to attend their functions.

President Ram Nath Kovind is expected to visit Sultanpur Lodhi on November 12 and the SGPC claims that he will attend the function being organised by them. The November 11 function will be attended by Union home minister Amit Shah.

“It is not yet clear if the President will attend the SGPC function or ours, but in any case, the government will attend SGPC function to abide by the directions of the Akal Takht jathedar in letter and spirit,” said Channi.

The minister said, “Holding a state-level function is in no way disobedience of the Akal Takht jathedar’s directions as he has already said if the state government wants to hold its own function, it is free to do.”

The SGPC, meanwhile, claimed it had already extended an invite to the Punjab government to attend its function. “The invite was extended by SGPC chief (Gobind Singh Longowal) when he met the CM in Chandigarh,” said Bibi Jagir Kaur, head of the SGPC committee organising the celebrations.

While the SGPC has set up a stage at the stadium of Guru Nanak College, owned by former SAD minister Dr Upinderjit Kaur, in Sultanpur Lodhi, the state government has set up its stage a km away from the historic Gurdwara Ber Sahib.