With protests over incidents of the alleged desecration of the Sikh holy book singing Punjab, chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Saturday met Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh, saying that the recent happenings have left him emotionally shattered.
A day after the Sikh clergy rolled back its controversial pardon to Sirsa dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, Badal handed over a letter to the Akal Takht Jathedar in the Golden Temple complex.
Expressing his anguish over the latest incidents of desecration of Guru Granth Sahib, which have sparked widespread protests across the state, Badal said: “The unexpected events were taking new turns which can prove more dangerous.”
In his letter, the chief minister said: “The recent happenings in Punjab are extremely sad and painful, and have deeply affected the psyche of Sikhs.”
A visibly shaken, Badal opted to stay mum in front of the media, and his meeting with the jathedar at the Akal Takht secretariat lasted barely two minutes. “I have just come here to pray and don’t want to say anything,” he said.
“As an administrative head of Punjab, I have tried to do my duties with commitment. I have spent my life with patience and religious ethos. At times, such events take place that are totally unexpected and one has to go through deep pain. In such situations, the feeling of repentance starts arising from within. Right now, I am going through the same state of mind and pain,” reads the chief minister’s letter.
{{/usCountry}}“As an administrative head of Punjab, I have tried to do my duties with commitment. I have spent my life with patience and religious ethos. At times, such events take place that are totally unexpected and one has to go through deep pain. In such situations, the feeling of repentance starts arising from within. Right now, I am going through the same state of mind and pain,” reads the chief minister’s letter.
{{/usCountry}}Replying to a query, the chief minister said some forces inimical to the progress were hell bent upon destroying the hard-earned peace in the state. “The state government was committed to thwart any such attempt. These forces will be exposed before the people so that they are not able to succeed in their nefarious designs against the state” added Badal.