PM Modi offers prayers at Patna Sahib gurdwara

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Patna Sahib Gurdwara on Sunday evening and offered prayers.

Accompanied by Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Bihar Assembly Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav, Modi reached Takhat Sri Harimandir Ji Patna Sahib in an orange turban and offered prayers.

Elaborate security arrangements were in place in view of the PM’s visit.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi addressed election rallies for NDA nominees in Arrah and Nawada. He visited the gurdwara after leading a massive roadshow in Patna.

Raking up the riots that broke out in the wake of the assassination of the then PM Indira Gandhi, Modi said at the Arrah rally, “It was around the same time of the year in 1984, on November 1-2, when Sikhs were massacred in Delhi. Those who were guilty are being promoted by the party. The Congress has been unapologetic about the carnage.”

Takhat Sri Harimandir Ji Patna Sahib is one of the five takhats of the Sikhs. The construction of the shrine was commissioned by then Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the 18th century to mark the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh.

The 10th Sikh guru was born in Patna in 1666. He also spent his early years here before moving to Anandpur Sahib.