Chandigarh, Nov 26 Punjab Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) President Aman Arora on Wednesday took exception to the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for their “deliberate absence” from the month-long events in the state to commemorate the 350th martyrdom day of Guru Tegh Bahadur.
Arora expressed disappointment and dismay, saying the BJP's leadership, despite personal invitations, displayed a “blatant disregard” for the sacrifice of the ninth Sikh Guru, who laid down his life to protect the fundamental rights and religious freedom of Hindus.
He told the media here that the government had conceived the commemorative events as totally non-political to educate future generations about the unparalleled sacrifice of Guru Tegh Bahadur. “We consciously kept it completely non-political because the martyrdom of the ninth Guru Sahib is so monumental that it should not be tainted by any kind of politics. The purpose was to rise above all religious, political and social lines,” Cabinet minister Arora said.
He said invitations were sent to a wide spectrum of leaders, including the President of India, the Prime Minister, all Union Ministers and Chief Ministers. “We sent Cabinet Ministers to personally invite them. We did not speak about it until now, hoping that perhaps the opportunity to pay obeisance to Guru Sahib would bring them to the holy land of Sri Anandpur Sahib. But today, I state without any hesitation that they have shown their true colours,” he said.
Questioning the Prime Minister, Arora highlighted that Prime Minister Modi was in Kurukshetra, which is just a 12-15 minute flight to Anandpur Sahib. Yet, he chose not to come to pay his respects. “This single act has removed any lingering doubt. It has exposed the depth of hatred festering in their hearts towards Punjab, Punjabiyat, and the Sikh community,” he added.
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