Guru-centric events matter of faith, not political strategy: Haryana CM
Nayab Saini rejects claims linking outreach to Punjab polls
After going all out to woo the Sikh community through the year by organising state-level programmes to mark the birth anniversaries and martyrdom of Sikh Gurus, besides making numerous trips to neighbouring Punjab, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has refused to admit to any “political agenda” and termed the outreach a matter of faith.
Speaking exclusively to The Tribune on his New Year agenda for the state, Saini insisted, “Organising programmes related to the Sikh community is not a political agenda for us. We remember the Sikh Gurus with complete devotion and reverence, and that is all there is to it.”
Asked whether the growing Sikh outreach had been planned with an eye on the upcoming Assembly elections in Punjab, where the BJP is trying to make inroads, the Chief Minister, who has emerged as the face of the party’s outreach, said, “It is not appropriate to link this with the Punjab Assembly elections. We have been organising such programmes for a long time.”
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He said he deeply admired the contribution made by the Sikh community to the nation and society. “This community has also worked very hard for the development of Haryana. At the same time, Haryana is the land of the Sikh Gurus. To express our gratitude and reverence towards them, we have been organising various programmes,” he said, distancing himself from any “political motive” behind the move. He added that he kept visiting Punjab to pay his respects to the Sikh Gurus.
The state government has, in the past, organised a state-level function in Panipat to mark the 400th Parkash Purb of Guru Tegh Bahadur, events to commemorate the 550th Gurpurb of Guru Nanak Dev and the 350th Parkash Purb of Guru Gobind Singh, observed Veer Bal Diwas on December 26, and in November organised various programmes to mark the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur, including a massive congregation at Jyotisar in Kurukshetra on November 25.
Among other priorities, the Chief Minister said women empowerment, a shift towards natural farming and employment generation would be the government’s main focus in the year ahead, while adding that traders had been assured protection in the wake of extortion calls.
