NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Kartarpur Corridor integrated checkpoint on the Indian side on November 8, his cabinet colleague Harsimrat Kaur Badal reported on Saturday.
She said the prime minister will visit Punjab on November 8 to inaugurate the corridor and will also attend the religious program organized by the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) to commemorate the celebrations of the 550th anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak Dev.
There seems to be a parallel track of events related to the historic anniversary, divided between the Sikh allies of Modi and the Punjab prime minister of the Congress party, Amarinder Singh. The prime minister had invited former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to join the visit to the Pakistani side of the event, which he has accepted.
Ms. Badal accused the prime minister of challenging the supremacy of Sri Akal Takht Sahib by deciding to hold a parallel stage to commemorate the 550 celebrations of Parkash Purab in Sultanpur Lodhi in the Indian Punjab.
“For a devout Sikh, a directive of Sri Akal Takht Sahib is the supreme order. It was extremely unfortunate that the government of Congress decided to carry out a parallel function despite a warning from Sri Akal Takht Sahib Jathedar Harpreet Singh and the SGPC's attempts to hold a joint celebration, "said Ms. Badal, who was campaigning for Shiromani candidate Akali Dal Manpreet Singh Ayali for the next Dakha poll.
“A joint coordination committee was also created for this purpose, but the representatives of the Congress committee did not let the efforts for a joint celebration succeed. Without a doubt, this will create confusion among the Sikh community and will be considered as an act designed to weaken the community, ”he added.
Urging the state government to yield and follow the traditions, Ms. Badal said: "It is our Guru's 550th Parkash Purab. Let's celebrate together without any ego conflict. If the CM and the ministers of your cabinet are really excited to celebrate, they must first perform the tasks that the government is supposed to do, such as creating the infrastructure to facilitate pilgrims, which has not been done in the sacred city of Sultanpur Lodhi to date. "
Posted on Dawn, October 13, 2019
Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1510552/modi-to-inaugurate-indian-side-of-kartarpur-corridor-on-nov-8-says-aide