PM Modi meets prominent Sikh leaders

New Delhi, Feb 18: Ahead of crucial Punjab Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met prominent Sikh leaders from across the country at his official residence 7 Lok Kalyan Marg here. The delegation thanked the Prime Minister for continuously taking steps for the welfare of the Sikh Community, and especially for honoring Chaar Sahibzaade through the decision to declare 26 December as Veer Baal Diwas, the PMO said. Each member of the delegation honored the Prime Minister with Saroopa and Siri Sahib. According to the Prime Minister Office, Modi said that people in many regions of the country do not know about the contribution and sacrifice of Chaar Sahibzaade and recalled that whenever he used to get an opportunity to speak in schools and in front of kids, he would always speak about Chaar Sahibzaade. The decision to observe 26 December as Veer Baal Diwas will go a long way in making kids from all corners of the country aware of them, the PM said. Prime Minister thanked the leaders of the Sikh Community for visiting him and said that the doors of his house are always open for them. Before the Sikh leaders, he recalled his connection with them and time spent together during the course of his stay in Punjab. “Prime Minister praised the spirit of service of the Sikh Community and said that the world needs to be made more aware about it. He said that his government is fully committed to the welfare of the Sikh Community. He talked about several steps taken by the government in this regard,” the PMO said. The Prime Minister discussed the special arrangements that were made to bring back Guru Granth Sahib from Afghanistan with full honour. He also talked about the steps taken by the government through diplomatic channels to open up the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for the Sikh pilgrims. Singh Sahib Giani Ranjeet Singh, Jathedar Takht Sri Patna Sahib, thanked the Prime Minister for taking steps like reopening Kartarpur Sahib Corridor and removing GST on Langar. Tarlochan Singh, Former Chairman, National Minority Commission, said that this is the first time since independence that the contribution of the Sikh community, who had sacrificed their lives in huge numbers during partition, is being recognized.