Prime Minister Narendra Modi will
participate in the celebrations to commemorate 350th foundation day of Anandpur Sahib on June 19.
The Prime Minister confirmed his participation in the event in response to an invitation extended to him by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal who called on him today, a Punjab government statement said.
Badal requested Modi to preside over the commemoration of the prestigious event and apprised him about the brief history and significance of the holy city founded by Ninth Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur in 1665.
He said the place was also the birthplace of Khalsa as in the year 1699 the tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh laid the foundation of Khalsa panth (Sikh religion) there on Baisakhi.
The Chief Minister said June 19 this year marks completion of 350 years of the holy town's existence and the state government was commemorating this event from June 17-19.
He also flagged with Modi the sensitive issue related to nomination of Chief of Nanded Sikh Gurudwara Sachkhand Shri Hazoor Abchalnagar Sahib Board, against which Sikhs have been agitating.
Badal requested Modi to use his good offices in prevailing upon Maharashtra government to "undo this amendment and restore the time-tested sacred democratic principle of allowing the Board to elect its own President."
He said Nanded Sikh Gurudwara Sachkhand Shri Hazoor Abchalnagar Sahib Act, 1956 was enacted to constitute the Board which manages the affairs of the Fifth Sacred Takht of Sikhs at Nanded in Maharashtra and a democratic system of electing its own President by the Board was functioning well since 1956.
Badal said the President of the Board has always been elected by the members of the Board since the enactment of the Act. However, in February 2015, Maharashtra government amended the Act through an Ordinance to the effect that the President of the Board would be nominated by the government from amongst the members of the Board.
Later, the Chief Minister also called on Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Home Minister Rajnath Singh at their offices to extend personal invitation for attending this function at Anandpur Sahib.
