Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday underlined the need to propagate the ideology of the 9th Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib, around the world, to promote the values of peace, harmony, secularism and co-existence, which Guru Sahib upheld through his supreme sacrifice.
In his address on the special session of Punjab Vidhan Sabha to mark the commemoration of 400th Prakash Purab of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, the Chief Minister mentioned the Sikh faith is distinguished by the tradition of martyrdom to uphold principles and righteousness given to us by our great Gurus.
The Chief Minister further said that the life and message of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji constitute the essence of what we have come to regard as Punjabiyat. He said that it comprises our saanjhi tehzeeb, our ma-boli Punjabi, our close ties of amity and fraternity cutting across people, faiths, castes and communities. When we talk of Punjab and Punjabis, Punjabiyat must follow. “This Punjabiyat embodied in the life and teachings of the Great Guru needs to be understood, appreciated and nurtured carefully”, remarked Capt. Amarinder Singh.
The Chief Minister also said that the 400th Prakash Purab of the Ninth Guru should help us renew our pledge and to show the people the right path as their rightful leaders and representatives. “I trust through this august House we can once again reiterate this message of universal peace and brotherhood on this historic occasion,” said Capt. Amarinder Singh.
“On this occasion, let us all pay special tribute to the remarkable bravery and courage of Bhai Jaita Ji. History will remember him whenever we speak of this tragic event”, said Captain Amarinder Singh.
Sharing his perception on India continuing to be a pluralistic country that has the unique distinction of being home to almost every faith in the world, the Chief Minister said that this concept is what gives India its richness and cultural diversity. “The slogan that we often hear and talk about Unity in Diversity is not a hollow or empty slogan. It carries a deep meaning which must be understood and internalised by all of us”, asserted the Chief Minister. He said the greatest tribute to Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji would be to imbibe Guru Ji’s universal message of love and religious freedom amongst mankind.
He outlined the huge celebration plans of the state government to mark this mega event and said the elaborate arrangements were earlier made to commemorate this historic event. However, the surge of Covid cases from April led us to defer the larger public programmes. He hoped once the Covid situation improves considerably; most of these events will be organised.
In his concluding remarks, the Chief Minister said that he was happy that the Government of India has also decided to observe this historic occasion in a befitting manner. He reiterated his government endeavour to take the message of the Great Guru to not only across the country but also to different parts of the globe where Guru Sahib’s followers are settled today. Thus, the message of Guru Sahib is universal and deserves to be disseminated to humanity at large.