At all-party meeting, leaders pledge joint celebrations

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 1

An all-party meeting was called by Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday in connection with the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev. The members decided to jointly participate in the state-level function being organised by the Punjab Government at Sultanpur Lodhi on November 12.

However, leaders of the SAD and BJP were conspicuous by their absence in the meeting. The SAD-BJP leaders alleged that the government did not call them for the meeting.

In an official statement, it was stated that the meeting regretted that certain political parties, for their vested interests, had decided to hold parallel celebrations on this pious occasion, sending a wrong message to the Sikh community across the world. Even on earlier occasions, all such celebrations were organised by the state government, and leaders of all political parties had jointly participated in it.

The meeting resolved that the state government would invite leaders of all political parties, both state and national, for the November 12 function. In keeping with the religious sentiments of the event, all speeches would be restricted to propagating the Guru’s philosophy and his life, an official spokesperson said after the meeting.

Besides theCM, the ruling Congress was represented at the party by Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Charanjit Singh Channi and Sunil Jakhar. Members of SAD-1920, CPI, CPI-M, SAD-Taksali, Sant Samaj, BSP and AAP attended the meeting.