‘Felt extremely blessed’: Modi’s makes ‘surprise visit’ to Gurudwara amid farmers’ stir

By IANS

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday made a surprise visit to the Gurudwara Rakabganj here early morning and paid tributes to Guru Tegh Bahadur for his supreme sacrifice, expressing “I felt extremely blessed”.

People of the Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee were surprised to see Modi present in the premises. There was neither any security, nor barricading arrangements made on the roads during the Prime Minister’s unscheduled visit.

Modi’s sudden visit to the Gurudwara comes a day after the ninth Sikh Guru’s death anniversary was observed on Saturday.

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In a tweet after the visit, the Prime Minister said: “This morning, I prayed at the historic Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Sahib, where the pious body of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji was cremated. I felt extremely blessed. I, like millions around the world, am deeply inspired by the kindnesses of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji.”

“It is the special Kripa of the Guru Sahibs that we will mark the special occasion of the 400th Parkash Parv of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji during our Government’s tenure. Let us mark this blessed occasion in a historic way and celebrate the ideals of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji,” the Prime Minister further said.

Sources say that during Prime Minister Modi’s visit, special care was taken so that the people do not face any inconvenience because on Sunday, the number of visitors is quite high. That is why there was no such high-level security as is usually the case, sources say.

Modi’s sudden visit to the Gurudwara comes amid the agitation organised by the farmers of Punjab in the national Capital, which may be seen as a move to placate them. However, the BJP leaders say that the PM’s visit is a matter of pure faith and should not be seen from any other perspective.

Guru Teg Bahadur sacrificed his life to protect religion and humanity. His martyrdom is remembered every year as Martyr’s Day. On Saturday, the whole country observed Guru Teg Bahadur’s Martyrdom Day. Guru Tegh Bahadur preached Sikhism during the 17th century.