Surprising the devotees present at the Sikh shrine, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Gurudwara Rakadganj present in the national capital to pay his tributes to Guru Tegh Bahadur, 9th of the 10 Sikh Gurus. The visit was made a day following the death anniversary of the saint.
There were neither any special measures undertaken prior to the PM’s arrival nor any barricades put in place to stop people from moving hurriedly to catch a glimpse of the leader.
The Sunday visit held greater significance as it was made amidst the ongoing farmer’s protests in Delhi who are demanding the repeal of the 3 contentious farm laws presented by the Centre.
Taking to Twitter, Modi said that he “felt extremely blessed” after the prayers at the site. “This morning, I prayed at the historic Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Sahib, where the pious body of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji was cremated. I felt extremely blessed. I, like millions around the world, am deeply inspired by the kindnesses of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji,”read his tweet attached with pictures, while in another he wrote, “It is the special Kripa of the Guru Sahibs that we will mark the special occasion of the 400th Parkash Parv of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji during our Government’s tenure.”
He concluded by saying, “Let us mark this blessed occasion in a historic way and celebrate the ideals of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji,” with all tweets translated by him in Punjabi as well.
While people are seeing this visit as a way to reduce the tensions at the protest site, BJP leaders asked everyone to look at it as an event out of faith with deviation to no other aspect.
The absence of arrangements for the visit was also due to the day being a public holiday as Sundays are usually crowded with worshippers, sources said, adding that it was ensured the common man does not face any troubles pertaining to road blockades/traffic and congestions in the holy shrine.
According to reports picked from the protest site, the demonstrators also paid tributes to Guru Tegh Bahadur close to the Delhi border in order to acknowledge and express their gratitude towards the Sikh saint.
The farmer’s protest started almost a month back with the agriculturists urging the government to take back the recently introduced laws that they say will leave them at the feet of the corporates begging for mercy for basic livelihood as their work will be exploited.
However, the PM was seen backing the controversial laws yet again on Saturday saying, “Agriculture reforms initiated six months back have started benefitting farmers.”
A day before, he had indirectly mentioned the possible discussions with farmers who aren’t okay with the government’s affairs in the farming front. On Friday Modi said, “If anyone has any concerns, then with our heads bowed and our hands folded, with humility, we are willing to discuss with them and assuage their fears.”
