In an official function at his residence on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked the Congress for its inability to bring Kartarpur Sahib (first Sikh Guru Nanak's birthplace) under India during the 1947 Partition.
He also blamed the Congress for failing to mete out justice to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots victims.
Releasing a commemorative coin to mark the 352nd birth anniversary of 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh with former PM Manmohan Singh and several prominent Sikh leaders in audience, PM Modi said, "A mistake took place in August, 1947. It (the corridor) is an atonement of the mistake. An important place of our guru was only a few kilometers away. But it could not be made part of India during Partition."
During assembly elections in Rajasthan in December last year too, PM Modi alleged that Congress leaders during partition had no idea about the importance of Guru Nanak Dev and no respect for Sikh sentiment.
"The most significant Sikh shrine was just a few kilometres away from border but even then it was ignored," said Modi. He added that his government is helping build the road link to Kartarpur.
Incidentally, Indian government had shown lukewarm response to Pakistani premier Imran Khan's overtures when he opened the Kartarpur Sahib corridor in November last year and invited PM Modi.
India sent two junior ministers – Harsimrat Kaur and Hardeep Singh Puri to attend the function where Congress' Punjab government minister Navjot Singh Sidhu hogged the limelight as a personal invitee of Pakistan PM.
The PM described Guru Gobind Singh as a warrior and a poet. He said the BJP government now plans to celebrate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak across the country. Not only events will be held in the states, Indian embassies abroad will also organise programmes as part of the celebrations.
Attacking Congress on the issue of 1984 anti-Sikh riots, PM Modi said his government is trying to get justice for the people who suffered during the anti-Sikh riots. "For decades, mothers, sisters, daughters and sons have shed tears, the law will deliver justice, wipe tears," he said in reference to the recent conviction of former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar after a wait of 34 years.
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