New Delhi: In an unscheduled visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to Guru Tegh Bahadur at Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib in Delhi on Sunday morning. The PM’s visit came at a time when the farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, are leading massive protests against the new farm laws introduced by the Central government.
PM Modi paid tribute to Guru Tegh Bahadur and recalled the ninth Sikh Guru’s vision for a just and inclusive society. While bowing to the Guru Tegh Bahadur, the Prime Minister said that the Sikh guru’s life epitomised courage and compassion.
The Prime Minister shared pictures on his official Twitter handle of his unscheduled visit to Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Sahib. “This morning, I prayed at the historic Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Sahib, where the pious body of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji was cremated. I felt extremely blessed. I, like millions around the world, am deeply inspired by the kindnesses of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji,” PM Modi tweeted.
“It is the special Kripa of the Guru Sahibs that we will mark the special occasion of the 400th Parkash Parv of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji during our Government’s tenure. Let us mark this blessed occasion in a historic way and celebrate the ideals of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji,” he added.
As seen in the pictures, the Prime Minister was wearing a bright yellow kurta along with an orange waistcoat and orange cloth to cover his head.
Guru Tegh Bahadur was the ninth Guru of the Sikh religion.
PM Modi prayed at the Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Sahib, interacted with Sikh religious leaders there and obliged visitors seeking to take pictures with him.
Political analysts see it as another symbolic reach out by the Prime Minister to the protesting farmers, who mainly hail from Sikh-dominated Punjab and neighbouring Haryana. These farmers have blocked highways into New Delhi for the past three weeks demanding a repeal of the laws, which the government says widen the agriculture market and are crucial to boost storage and other infrastructure.
The protesters have repeatedly rebuffed PM Modi and his ministers’ attempts to reach a compromise. They have been protesting at different borders of Delhi since November 26 against the three newly enacted farm laws- Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.