Had not gone to Golden Temple for ‘siropa’: Badal

A day after an ‘ardasia’ (preacher) refused to honour him at the Golden Temple, chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Saturday said he went to the shrine to pay obeisance and not to take a “siropa” (robe of honour).

A day after an ‘ardasia’ (preacher) refused to honour him at the Golden Temple, chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Saturday said he went to the shrine to pay obeisance and not to take a “siropa” (robe of honour).

Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal (HT Photo)

Speaking on the sidelines of a “sangat darhan” programme in his Lambi assembly segment here, Badal said he was given a “siropa” by the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee (SGPC) during his visit to the Golden Temple on Friday. “I am a devout Sikh and a firm follower of tenets of Sikhism. I am duty-bound to pay obeisance at the Darbar Sahib. I don’t go there to be honoured,” Badal said.

The CM also appealed the people to maintain peace during the 32nd anniversary of Operation Bluestar on June 6. “Nobody will be allowed to disturb the hard-earned peace in the state,” he added.

To take up Punjabi teachers’ issue with Rajasthan CM’

Reacting to the Rajasthan government’s decision to abolish post of Punjabi teachers in Punjabi-dominated areas of the neighbouring state, Badal said he would speak to his counterpart Vasundhara Raje Scindia. “It was unfortunate that the Rajasthan government has abolished the post of Punjabi teachers in government schools and was not providing free Punjabi textbooks to Scheduled Caste students,” Badal added. He said it was a serious issue and grave injustice to Punjabis settled in Rajasthan.