Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday attended a felicitation programme organised by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, where he spoke about the role of the Sikh community since their fight for India’s freedom and thanked them for their relentless dedication to the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Addressing a gathering, Shah spoke about the sacrifices made by the Sikh community and said that the contribution of Sikh Gurus to the country cannot be repaid even in thousands of years. “No one in the whole world can match the sacrifices made by Sikh Gurus for humanity and the country,” he said.
The Sikhs have a long tradition of fighting against the invaders, against injustice, against destruction, and have been making sacrifices for ten generations. The sacrifices that the Gurus have made for humanity and for the country are unlike anything else in the world. Not just I, but every person in the world who is aware of history, respects it,” Shah said.
Shah said be it India’s freedom struggle, fight against the Mughals or fight against the Britishers, partition or sacrificing for the country, the Sikh community has always been number one.
Paying tributes to the Sikh gurus and the Sikh community, he said the Sikhs move forward taking both religion and karma equally.
{{/usCountry}}Paying tributes to the Sikh gurus and the Sikh community, he said the Sikhs move forward taking both religion and karma equally.
{{/usCountry}}He said that a true Sikh never looks back when it comes to sacrificing one’s life for religion. He further spoke about the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev and Guru Teg Bahadur.
“I can say without hesitation that this country can never forget the gratitude that the ninth Guru Teg Bahadur Ji has given to this country,” Shah said. “Today, we are following the message of equality that Guru Nanak Dev Ji spread among all religions in the world,” he added.
Lauding the Sikh community for the efforts during COVID-19, Shah said he was “inspired” by their relentless service during that time.
“I would definitely like to mention the spirit of service, and how the Sikhs have remembered the teachings of the Gurus. I have seen it with my own eyes when Corona(virus) hit Delhi. There were langars in gurdwaras, people came out to serve at the gurdwaras. Even funerals of those who did not belong to the same religion took place at the gurdwara,” the home minister said.
Shah said justice to the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots were delivered only after Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government assumed office in 2014.
“No one can forget the riots of 1984. No one was punished in those riots until the Modi government assumed office. Many inquiry commissions were formed but did not yield results. But Modi formed SIT, reopened 300 cases and started sending those who were guilty to jail,” he said.
Shah also spoke about how under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), many from the Sikh community have gotten citizenship in India.
“Under CAA, PM Modi gave citizenship to those Sikh brothers who wanted to come here from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, or Pakistan. The Panth has done so much for the country, society, humanity,” he said.
The controversial Citizenship Amendment Act was first introduced in Lok Sabha in 2016, however, lapsed with the dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha in 2019. It was reintroduced in 2019 by Shah and was subsequently passed.
The purpose of the Act was to grant citizenship to illegal immigrants who entered India on or before December 31, 2014. It was designed for migrants of six religions only — Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians from three countries— Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
Also, present in attendance were the Jathedar of Takht Patna Sahib Giani Baldev Singh, Bharatiya Janata Party national secretary Manjinder Singh Sirsa, National Minorities Commission chairman Iqbal Singh Lalpura, Tarlochan Singh, and others.
After the event, Sirsa thanked the Union home minister for his ‘kind and encouraging’ words at the event.
“I am incredibly proud and grateful for the strong turnout of Sikh brothers and sisters in today’s event honouring @AmitShah Ji, the Hon’ble Home Minister of our country. I’m also thankful for the kind and encouraging words Amit Shah Ji shared about me within our community. The significant presence of the Sikh community today sends a clear message that we stand for peace, progress, and prosperity, for our entire nation,” he wrote on X.