PM Modi Brings Up Aurangzeb & Freedom Struggle in Gurpurab Celebrations Speech
The speech comes in the backdrop of the Ludhiana bomb blast and the upcoming 2022 assembly elections in Punjab.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing via video the Gurpurab celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, said, "It is important to ensure that nobody is able to harm the country's unity."
Modi raked up Aurangzeb while talking about fighting religious extremism and terror.
"Guru Tegh Bahadur's valour against Aurangzeb teaches us how the country fights against terror and religious fanaticism. Similarly, the life of the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh Sahib is also a living example of tenacity and sacrifice at every step," he said.
The prime minister also brought up the anti-colonial movement, and reminded his audience of the contribution of the Sikh community in the freedom struggle.
"The valour with which our Sikh brothers and sisters fought for the country's independence even under the British rule, our freedom struggle, that land of Jallianwala Bagh, is still a witness to those sacrifices," he added.
The speech comes in the backdrop of the bomb blast that had rocked a courthouse in Ludhiana, Punjab, earlier this week on Thursday.
The one person who died in the blast—Gagandeep Singh—has turned out to be the bomber himself, who is an ex-police officer dismissed from the police force in 2019 after he was found guilty of involvement in a drug case.
Punjab DGP Siddharth Chattopadhyaya. told reporters that the deceased bomber "had links with Khalistani outfits, terror outfits, mafia outfits, and narcotic smugglers within Punjab as well as abroad".
Punjab has assembly elections scheduled for 2022.
The state has witnessed chaotic events in the recent past within the ruling Congress Party, with veteran Congress politician Captain Amarinder being replaced by Charanjit Singh Channi as the chief minister.
The repeal of the three controversial farm laws by the central government led by the BJP is also expected to play a role in the upcoming state elections.
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