Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Arvind Kejriwal to attend events marking 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal will attend religious congregations on Saturday to mark the beginning of a series of events commemorating the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur.

The Punjab government will perform an 'ardas' (prayer) at Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib in Delhi on October 25 to begin the events aimed at perpetuating the rich legacy of the ninth Sikh Guru, a state government spokesperson said.

In the evening, a 'Kirtan Darbar' will be held at Gurdwara Sri Rakab Ganj Sahib where Mann and Kejriwal will pay obeisance. Eminent 'Ragis' like Bhai Amarjit Singh Taan, Bhai Anantbir Singh, Bhai Chamanjit Singh Lal, Bhai Joginder Singh Riar, Bhai Davinder Singh Sodhi, Bhai Jaskaran Singh and others will perform 'Kirtan'.

The spokesperson said the state government has already chalked a number of events to commemorate the occasion in a befitting manner.

These events will be with reverence and respect across the state, with the main programmes taking place at Sri Anandpur Sahib.

The events aim to spread the message of secularism, humanism and spirit of sacrifice as preached and practiced by Guru Tegh Bahadur, who had laid down his life to protect the right to freedom of worship and human rights.

Describing the Guru's sacrifice as unparalleled, the spokesperson said, it symbolises the crusade against injustice, tyranny and oppression.The 'Bani' of Guru Tegh Bahadur in Guru Granth Sahib preaches oneness of mankind, universal brotherhood, valour, righteousness and compassion, he added.

These series of events organised by the state government will be a real homage to the Sikh Guru and inspire the people to follow their teachings in true spirit.

The life and philosophy of Guru Tegh Bahadur is a lighthouse for the entire humanity, he said, adding that the events will ensure that the heritage of the Guru is perpetuated to the future generations.

Additionally, all cabinet ministers have been assigned the responsibility of personally inviting the chief ministers of various states for the events, the spokesperson said.

Invitations have already been handed over to several chief ministers, while the remaining states will be covered in the coming days, he said.

Ministers Harpal Singh Cheema and Lal Chand Kataruchak have been deputed to deliver invitations to the chief ministers of Odisha, West Bengal, and Assam, he added.

Similarly, Aman Arora and Tarunpreet Singh Sond will visit Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Uttarakhand to hand over invitations.

Balbir Singh and Hardeep Singh Mundian have been assigned to invite the chief ministers of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, while Minister Harbhajan Singh and Barinder Kumar Goyal will deliver invitations to the the chief ministers of Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry, he said.

According to the spokesperson Minister Harjot Singh Bains and advisor to the department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs Deepak Bali will invite the chief ministers of Maharashtra, Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir.

Baljeet Kaur and Mohinder Bhagat have been tasked with inviting the chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Ministers Laljit Singh Bhullar and Ravjot Singh will travel to Meghalaya, Tripura, Sikkim, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland to extend invitations.

The spokesperson informed that ministers Gurmeet Singh Khudian and Sanjeev Arora will deliver invitations to the chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Goa.