Punjab Cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu Monday chose to stay away from the foundation stone laying ceremony for the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara corridor, saying he was not into any credit war.
Sidhu visited Dera Baba Nanak Monday, went to its 'darshan asthal' and had a glimpse of the Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib, located about 4 kms from in Narowal district of Pakistan's Punjab through binoculars installed there for the purpose.
Sidhu, who has accepted the Pakistan's invite to attend the ground-breaking ceremony of the corridor on the other side of the border by the neighbouring country's Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday, however, skipped the foundation stone laying ceremony here by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.
The ceremony was organised at village Mann near the Indo-Pak border here.
There are some things which are away from the politics. I was never into any credit war -- not today and will never be in future either," Sidhu told reporters here, when asked why did he stay away from the event.
We do politics from dias. It is a matter of religion. A passage is going to be built which will bring peace and prosperity. I have been saying from the day one that one should not make political capital out of a matter of religion," said Sidhu.
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Punjab's Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister Sidhu had been pitching since long for the Kartarpur corridor. It will facilitate Sikh pilgrims to visit and return from the the historic Gurdwara the same day without any passport or travel document.
Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpurin Pakistan was built to commemorate the site where Guru Nanak Dev, the Sikhs first guru and founder of Sikhism lived for 18 years until his death in 1539.
Sidhu said he visited Dera Baba Nanak to thank the Almighty for answering his prayers for materialisation of the corridor.
Sidhu reached Dera Baba Nanak Monday morning via Amritsar from Madhya Pradesh, where he had been campaigning earlier.
Sidhu said the prayers of 13 crore 'Guru Nanak naam leva sangat (followers)', who have been demanding the opening of the passage, have fructified.
It is a gift to the entire 'sangat' on the occasion of the 550th Parkash Purb (550th birth anniversary) celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev for which he had come to thank the Almighty, he said.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Punjab CM Amarinder Singh Monday laid the foundation stone at village Mann here for the Kartarpur Sahib corridor.
The decision to build passagefrom Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district to the International Border was taken by the Union Cabinet on November 22.
GurdwaraDarbar Sahib Kartarpur is located on the banks of the Ravi river, in Pakistan.
On the occasion, Punjab chief minister Singh, Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Union ministers of state Hardeep Singh Puri and Vijay Sampla too were present.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will be inaugurating the ground-breaking ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor, on the Pakistani side on November 28.