Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 7: BJP MLC Charanjit Singh Khalsa, while taking a dig at National Conference (NC) and Congress who ruled the State right from 1947 said that their Governments failed to concede the demand of Sikh Community of the State regarding the setting up of the chair of Guru Gobind Singh in Jammu University.
Talking to reporters here, today he said the Sikh community in the State had been continuously demanding the setting up of Guru Gobind Singh Chair in Jammu University but nothing was done during the last over 20 years when Congress and NC were in power.
He said “with the change of guards at the Centre, Narendra Modi led NDA Government has recognized the valour and sacrifices of Sikhs and the same got strengthened with the allocation of Rs 100 crore in the Union Budget last year for various programmes to be organized in connection with 350th birth day celebrations of Guru Gobind Singh”. “Modi’s directions to Indian embassies / high commissions abroad to celebrate the birthday of Guru Gobind Singh is also an indication of how much regard his party and the Government has for Sikhs and their Gurus”, he added.
Khalsa, while expressing gratitude to the BJP State President & MLA Sat Sharma for announcing Rs 50 lakh for setting up of Chair in the name of Guru Gobind Singh at Jammu University, said that the State BJP too has recognized the supreme sacrifices and the stature of Guru Gobind Singh and the entire Sikh Community which is highly laudable. He said that setting up of Guru Gobind Singh Chair was a dream project for the Sikh community in the State and it is now hoped that the day is not far when the people will have a Study Centre equipped with the life history of Guru Gobind Singh in the University.
Meanwhile Virenderjit Singh, chairman National Sikh Front has said by announcing the Guru Gobind Singh Chair in JU the BJP has settled a long pending demand of the Sikh community.
Displaced Kashmiri Sikhs conference president Harmohinder Singh has eulogized the landmark decision of BJP Government for setting up of Shri Guru Gobind singh chair in the Punjabi language department of Jammu university.