Rejecting Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee's charge that the Punjab government did not attend a coordination meeting on the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday said a Group of Ministers had been formed to talk to the apex gurdwara body.
Taking strong exception to SGPC's criticism against the state government for not attending the meeting on Friday, Amarinder Singh said cabinet ministers Charanjit Singh Channi, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and OP Soni were directed to discuss the modalities of the 'Prakash Purb' celebrations with the Parbandhak Committee.
The Friday meeting was presided over by the SGPC chief.
It was not the state government that did not show interest in holding a joint function as directed by Akal Takht Sahib (highest temporal seat), but the SGPC which had been "refusing" to join the state government in celebrating the historic occasion on a common platform, an official statement quoted the CM as saying.
Reiterating his appeal to the SGPC to support the government in commemorating the 550th birth anniversary celebrations, Amarinder Singh urged the religious body's chief to "keep an open mind" on the issue.
He recalled that even during his last meeting with the SGPC delegation, led by its president Gobind Singh Longowal on August 27 here, the CM had appealed for a consensus on various issues relating to the celebrations.
Amarinder Singh also reiterated his appeal to the SGPC chief to attend the meeting of state level organising committee to be convened shortly to discuss all the 'Prakash Purb' related issues through dialogue.
He urged the SGPC to demonstrate a spirit of unity and large heartedness to spread the message of universal love, religious tolerance and amity, as propagated by the first Sikh Guru.
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