Chandigarh/Muktsar Sahib, January 14
The sacred land of Sri Muktsar Sahib is not merely a centre of faith, but an immortal saga of unparalleled sacrifice and courage in Sikh history. These remarks were made by BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh while addressing the Maghi Mela Conference organised by BJP Punjab. Paying tributes to the Forty Muktas, Chugh said the Maghi Mela reminds the nation of the Sikh tradition founded on supreme sacrifice and the protection of Dharma.
Recalling the martyrdom of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur, Chugh said his sacrifice was not for any one community but for humanity as a whole and for the freedom of faith. He said walking on the path shown by the Guru Sahiban is a moral responsibility of the present generation, and India continues to draw inspiration from those eternal values.
Speaking on the current situation in Punjab, Chugh said the state today needs a government inspired by the good governance of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the ideals of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, but the Aam Aadmi Party has betrayed those ideals after coming to power. He said teachers, employees, students and journalists are protesting on the streets, and the disrespect shown towards Sikh Gurus by AAP leaders amounts to an insult to the entire Punjab.
Targeting the Congress party, Chugh said the pain of the 1984 anti-Sikh massacre remains fresh even today, but Congress neither apologised nor delivered justice to the victims. In contrast, he said the Bharatiya Janata Party has taken historic steps such as the Kartarpur Corridor, Veer Bal Diwas, national-level celebrations of Guru Parabs, GST relief on langar, renovation of Jallianwala Bagh, and justice for the victims of the 1984 riots.
Concluding his address, Chugh energized BJP workers with powerful slogans and declared that those who disrespect our Gurus can never rule Punjab. He called upon party workers to unite and strengthen the BJP to make Punjab secure, prosperous and dignified. Senior BJP leaders including State President Sunil Jakhar, Working President Ashwani Sharma, Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, National Commission for Minorities Chairperson Iqbal Singh Lalpura, former minister Manpreet Badal, senior party leaders and a large number of workers were present at the conference.
