Chandigarh, Oct 4 (IANS) BJP national General Secretary Tarun Chugh on Saturday welcomed the decision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to allow Sikh devotees to pay obeisance at Nankana Sahib in Pakistan on the sacred occasion of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s Gurpurab.

Chugh said the decision reflects the Modi government’s deep sensitivity towards the religious sentiments of Punjabis and the global Sikh community.

He reminded that while national security has always remained paramount for the government, it has never been allowed to stand in the way of the faith of devotees.

“This balance of security and respect for sentiments is a hallmark of Prime Minister Modi’s leadership,” Chugh added.

He recalled that initially, after Operation Sindoor, the Ministry of Home Affairs had barred Sikh jathas from travelling to Pakistan due to the prevailing situation.

“But the government revisited its decision because the voice of the Sangat can never be ignored. For Sikhs, Nankana Sahib is not just a shrine; it is the living memory of Guru Nanak Dev Ji,” Chugh said.

Chugh further said that the decision is not an isolated gesture, but part of a much larger tradition of respect that Prime Minister Modi has consistently shown towards Sikhs and Punjabis.

From opening the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor against all odds, to granting FCRA registration for Sri Darbar Sahib, from waiving GST on langar items to celebrating the 550th Prakash Parv of Guru Nanak Dev on a global scale, Prime Minister Modi has time and again demonstrated that the pride, heritage and sentiments of Sikhs are central to his vision.

He highlighted that under Modi’s leadership, justice was finally delivered to victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, long-pending blacklists that humiliated overseas Sikhs were slashed, and persecuted Afghan Sikhs were brought safely to India under Operation Devi Shakti.

“This is the same Prime Minister who bowed his head at Rakab Ganj Sahib, Sultanpur Lodhi, and Patna Sahib, not as a formality, but with genuine devotion to the Gurus,” Chugh added.

–IANS

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