Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis
Credit: PTI photo
Nanded: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said that gurus made sacrifices not just for Sikhs but to save the country’s people, culture, thought and religion.
He was addressing a gathering on the second day of the ‘Hind Di Chadar Shaheedi Samagam’ in Nanded, organised to mark the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur
“The sacrifice of our gurus was not only for Sikhs but to save the country’s people, culture, thought and religion. We would not be where we are today had the gurus not made those sacrifices,” he said.
The CM said Kashmir Pandits had approached Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh guru, when Aurangzeb was forcing them to change their faith.
“They knew this was the guru who could save them. Aurangzeb told Guru Tegh Bahadur to either convert or die after his arrest, but the guru remained firm in his commitment. Some of those with Gurudev were cut to pieces and beheaded. Despite this, Aurangzeb’s intentions remained unfulfilled,” said Fadnavis.
The CM shared the intent behind organising the ‘Hind Di Chadar Shaheedi Samagam’ in Nanded.
“We have brought nine communities together in this sangat today, along with the Warkari community. We decided to take the thoughts of the gurus to every household in Maharashtra. We will take the history of the gurus to the people and to children, because it is the true history of the country,” he said.
He said the government has tried to bring together the entire Nanak Nam Leva sangat (followers of Guru Nanak Dev’s teachings) for this programme.
“At a time when society was fractured by social inequality, Guru Nanak Dev Ji gave the mantra of ‘Nirankar’, which connected people from various communities. We have attempted to bring different communities together through this mantra here in Nanded.”
Andhra Pradesh Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan, his Maharashtra peer Ajit Pawar, many state ministers and leaders from various religious groups attended the event.