Reopen Kartarpur corridor, Punjab BJP leaders urge PM Modi

New Delhi, November 14

A high-level delegation of BJP leaders from Punjab, J&K and New Delhi met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence on Sunday morning and demanded the reopening of the Kartarpur corridor for Guru Nanak Dev’s birth anniversary on November 19.

The corridor was closed in March 2020 in the wake of Covid-19 and demands to reopen it have been gathering momentum in the recent past with the ruling Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab petitioning the government. The 11-member delegation included senior BJP leaders Ashwani Sharma, Saudan Singh, Tarun Chugh, RP Singh, Dushyant Gautam and Tajinder Bagga. In a representation to the PM, the leaders cited the dipping of Covid cases besides the delivery of over 110 crore vaccine shots to demand that the corridor be reopened “in line with the sentiments of Sikh devotees who want to cross over to Pakistan to pay obeisance to Guru Nanak.”

“Gurdwara Darbar Sahib came under Pakistan at the time of Partition due to the callousness of the Congress even though it is located just 3 km from the border. Subsequent governments did nothing to reopen the corridor. PM Modi eventually reopened the corridor, honouring the sentiments of Sikhs across the world,” the delegation said in a memorandum to the PM.

The leaders also said that with the economic and other activities reopening gradually, the hope for reopening the corridor had been revived.

“We hope you will reopen the corridor for the Sikh devotees to celebrate Parkash Purb on November 19,” the delegation said.

The delegates praised the BJP government at the Centre for looking after the interests of Sikhs. It praised the leadership for the constitution of an SIT to bring to justice the culprits of 1984 Sikh massacre and the recent protection to Sikhs in Afghanistan. — TNS