In Punjab, AAP govt's Guru Tegh Bahadur's 350th martyrdom day plan runs into SGPC opposition
2
Chandigarh/Amritsar: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday announced a series of events to be organised by the state govt to commemorate the 350th martyrdom day of Guru Tegh Bahadur from Nov 19 to 25 this year.
However, the move drew criticism from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the apex representative body of Sikhs.
After chairing a meeting, Mann said the events would primarily be held at Anandpur Sahib under the aegis of the state govt. However, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said that as the central religious body of the Sikh community, the SGPC held exclusive rights to organise such events in collaboration with Sikh organisations and the wider sangat (community).
He said the govt's role should be limited to providing administrative support and facilities for pilgrims.
He urged the Punjab govt to refrain from actions that could lead to unnecessary controversy within the panth (Sikh community).
Before Dhami's statement, Mann had announced that four processions (yatras) would travel across Punjab and culminate at Anandpur Sahib. "The first yatra will start from Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, on Nov 21 and pass through Pathankot and Hoshiarpur before reaching Anandpur Sahib.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You
Dubai villas | search ads
Get Deals
Undo
The second will begin in Gurdaspur and pass through Baba Bakala, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, and Jalandhar," he said.
The third yatra will start from Ferozepur, travel through Moga and Ludhiana, and reach Anandpur Sahib. The fourth will also begin in Ferozepur, passing through Faridkot, Bathinda, Barnala, Sangrur, Mansa, and Patiala before concluding at Anandpur Sahib.
The CM added that light-and-sound shows and poetry sessions based on Guru Sahib's life and sacrifice would be organised in all 23 districts of Punjab.
"Special seminars and symposiums focused on the life, vision, and martyrdom of Guru Sahib will be held across educational institutions in the state," he said.
An akhand path will begin on Nov 23 and conclude on Nov 25. One of the events will include an interfaith conference aimed at promoting harmony among religions.
Every evening will feature a grand Kirtan Darbar, with renowned raagi jathas performing Gurbani Kirtan.
Dhami clarified that the SGPC would organise the events by taking everyone along. "It has already been announced that prominent representatives from both the central and state governments would be invited to the centenary events. Therefore, the Punjab govt should play a supportive role, rather than creating unnecessary controversy within the panth by organising separate events," he said.
Punjab minister Harjot Singh Bains blamed SGPC. "You know the reasons. They don't want to meet us. Through you, we are extending an invitation to them. They can call us or approach the state government. Chief minister saab is never averse to meeting anyone," he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
18 minutes ago
- Time of India
HC dismisses petition for dependent pension under freedom fighter scheme
Hyderabad: Telangana high court has dismissed a writ petition seeking grant of arrears and dependent pension under the Swatantrata Sainik Samman Pension Scheme, 1980. The court ruled that no pension can be sanctioned after the death of a freedom fighter if it was not granted during their lifetime. Justice NV Shravan Kumar delivered the verdict while hearing a petition filed by the late freedom fighter More Rama Rao's daughter, More Vijaya Laxmi, from Warangal district. Vijaya Laxmi claimed that neither Rama Rao nor her mother, More Sushila, were granted freedom fighter's pension despite their applications. After their deaths, being unmarried and mentally ill, she applied for a family pension, which was still pending with the authorities. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad According to Vijaya Laxmi, her father was a freedom fighter who fought for the merger of the Nizam State into the Indian Union and applied for a pension in 1984. Around 20 years later, he got a response from the authorities asking him to submit relevant documents in April 2003. Even before his application was processed, he died in October 2003. Following this, Vijaya Laxmi's mother Sushila applied for the family pension. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2 & 3 BHK by the Lake, Off Old Madras Road Brigade Lakecrest Undo However, she also passed away in 2016 before her application was processed. Subsequently, Vijaya Laxmi, being the sole heir, applied for pension and submitted representations to the authorities on two occasions in Sept 2016. As the same was not considered, she approached the high court seeking relief. Justice NV Shravan Kumar noted that although Rao applied for the pension in 1984, it was never sanctioned during his lifetime. Subsequent applications by his wife and later the petitioner were not eligible under the revised scheme. The court also noted that Rao declared "no eligible dependents" in official records. Further, in view of the 2014 guidelines, the court ruled that "no lifetime arrears or dependent pension shall be sanctioned to the spouse or daughter after the death of the freedom fighter" if the pension was not already approved, and dismissed Vijaya Laxmi's petition.
Time of India
21 minutes ago
- Time of India
U.S EU Trade deal: Who wins after tariff agreement - Donald Trump or Europe?
U.S EU Trade deal agreement has finally been chalked. In the end, Europe found it lacked the leverage to pull Donald Trump 's America into a trade pact on its terms and so has signed up to a deal it can just about stomach - albeit one that is clearly skewed in the U.S.'s favour. As such, Sunday's agreement on a blanket 15 per cent tariff after a months-long stand-off is a reality check on the aspirations of the 27-country European Union to become an economic power able to stand up to the likes of the United States or China. U.S EU Trade Deal Face-saver for Europe? Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Finance Technology others Data Analytics Data Science PGDM MCA healthcare MBA Public Policy Product Management Leadership Healthcare Project Management Others Digital Marketing Design Thinking CXO Operations Management Management Cybersecurity Data Science Artificial Intelligence Degree Skills you'll gain: Duration: 9 Months IIM Calcutta SEPO - IIMC CFO India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 7 Months S P Jain Institute of Management and Research CERT-SPJIMR Fintech & Blockchain India Starts on undefined Get Details EU has long portrayed itself as an export superpower and champion of rules-based commerce for the benefit both of its own soft power and the global economy as a whole. For sure, the new tariff that will now be applied is a lot more digestible than the 30% "reciprocal" tariff which Trump threatened to invoke in a few days. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Nazlat Alsman: Unsold Sofas Prices May Surprise You (Prices May Surprise You) Sofas | Search Ads Search Now Undo While it should ensure Europe avoids recession, it will likely keep its economy in the doldrums: it sits somewhere between two tariff scenarios the European Central Bank last month forecast would mean 0.5-0.9 per cent economic growth this year compared to just over 1% in a trade tension-free environment. But this is nonetheless a landing point that would have been scarcely imaginable only months ago in the pre-Trump 2.0 era, when the EU along with much of the world could count on U.S. tariffs averaging out at around 1.5%. Live Events Even when Britain agreed a baseline tariff of 10% with the United States back in May, EU officials were adamant they could do better and - convinced the bloc had the economic heft to square up to Trump - pushed for a "zero-for-zero" tariff pact. It took a few weeks of fruitless talks with their U.S. counterparts for the Europeans to accept that 10% was the best they could get and a few weeks more to take the same 15% baseline which the United States agreed with Japan last week. "The EU does not have more leverage than the U.S., and the Trump administration is not rushing things," said one senior official in a European capital who was being briefed on last week's negotiations as they closed in around the 15% level. That official and others pointed to the pressure from Europe's export-oriented businesses to clinch a deal and so ease the levels of uncertainty starting to hit businesses from Finland's Nokia to Swedish steelmaker SSAB . "We were dealt a bad hand. This deal is the best possible play under the circumstances," said one EU diplomat. "Recent months have clearly shown how damaging uncertainty in global trade is for European businesses." Big Win for Donald Trump? That imbalance - or what the trade negotiators have been calling "asymmetry" - is manifest in the final deal. Not only is it expected that the EU will now call off any retaliation and remain open to U.S. goods on existing terms, but it has also pledged $600 billion of investment in the United States. The time-frame for that remains undefined, as do other details of the accord for now. As talks unfolded, it became clear that the EU came to the conclusion it had more to lose from all-out confrontation. The retaliatory measures it threatened totalled some 93 billion euros - less than half its U.S. goods trade surplus of nearly 200 billion euros. True, a growing number of EU capitals were also ready to envisage wide-ranging anti-coercion measures that would have allowed the bloc to target the services trade in which the United States had a surplus of some $75 billion last year. But even then, there was no clear majority for targeting the U.S. digital services which European citizens enjoy and for which there are scant homegrown alternatives - from Netflix to Uber to Microsoft cloud services. It remains to be seen whether this will encourage European leaders to accelerate the economic reforms and diversification of trading allies to which they have long paid lip service but which have been held back by national divisions. Describing the deal as a painful compromise that was an "existential threat" for many of its members, Germany's BGA wholesale and export association said it was time for Europe to reduce its reliance on its biggest trading partner. "Let's look on the past months as a wake-up call," said BGA President Dirk Jandura. "Europe must now prepare itself strategically for the future - we need new trade deals with the biggest industrial powers of the world." FAQs Q1. Who is President of USA? A1. President of USA is Donald Trump. Q2. How much tariffs USA is levying on Europe? A2. US is levying 15 per cent tariffs on Europe.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Indus Water Treaty Favoured Pakistan, Left India With Little Share: Lt Gen Vinod Khandare
Nagpur: Retired Lieutenant General Vinod Khandare, former Principal Advisor to the Union Ministry of Defence during Operation Sindoor , has termed the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 as "unfair and biased towards Pakistan ." Speaking at a Jansamvaad event organised by Janmanch NGO, Khandare stated that the political leadership of the time gave away significant control over India's river resources, leaving the country with a disproportionately small share of the Indus waters. "The Indus River, originating from the Himalayas, carries a large amount of silt and sludge that used to accumulate in our dams," he said. "We wanted to de-silt it for efficiency, but were told the treaty doesn't permit us. Despite this, we cleaned the river." Khandare pointed out that the river flows from Indian states like Punjab and Haryana into Pakistan's Punjab, significantly boosting their agriculture. "They reaped harvests, earned revenue, and used that very money to fund terrorism against us," he said, underscoring the strategic imbalance the treaty has created. He added that all that changed in 2016, after a team of experts were appointed to asses and review the pact. General Khandare also raised alarms over China's covert meteorological manipulation program. According to him, China's Department of Weather Modification, with over 37,000 personnel, has been closely studying Indian monsoon patterns. "We discovered one of their meteorological sensors in the Bay of Bengal," he revealed, adding that China intends to redirect rain clouds meant for the Indian subcontinent towards Tibet and Sichuan. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Search & compare rates from major search-engines, along with local, reputable engines. Hotel Deals | Search Ads Browse Now Undo The motive, he said, is to support Beijing's industrial shift from its eastern coastal belt to inland provinces. Touching upon India's evolving defence posture, Khandare highlighted Operation Sindoor as a turning point. "The military had full operational control without political interference, which enabled decisive surgical strikes and air operations like the one at Jabbar Top," he said. The operation targeted terrorist launchpads and training facilities in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, sending a strong message that no safe havens would be tolerated. Cyber warfare, he warned, is the new front. "Smartphones can now be weaponised. Cyberattacks, like the one that paralysed Estonia in 2008, can happen here too." He called for urgent investment in cyber resilience and civil defence, citing India's inadequate infrastructure—no public sirens in cities like Nagpur, and lack of shelters in urban areas, unlike Europe or Israel. "India's civil defence infrastructure remains alarmingly inadequate in the face of growing conventional and unconventional threats. Unlike countries like Israel, where every building has a shelter, or Europe, where metros are built underground for protection, Indian cities are ill-equipped. Nagpur, for example, lacks even basic sirens," Khandare said. General Vinod Khandare pointed out that while our armed forces may be battle-ready, the country lacks systems to protect its citizens in times of crisis or war. He further stressed the need for reforms in India's defence production. "With 41 ordnance factories underperforming, joint ventures and privatisation are no longer optional—they are essential," Khandare concluded by stating that only a self-reliant, strategically alert, and technologically equipped India can deter the evolving threats in a turbulent global order.
