In a move that is seen as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s outreach towards the Sikh community, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that Guru Tegh Bahadur stood as a rock against the tyranny of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
Modi was speaking from the Red Fort as part of the 400th birth anniversary of the ninth Sikh guru; Red Fort is where the religious leader was beheaded by Aurangzeb. This was one of the rare times when Modi addressed the nation from the Red Fort on a day apart from Independence Day.
“In front of Aurangzeb's tyrannical thinking, Guru Tegh Bahadur stood like a rock. Red Fort is a witness to the fact that even though Aurangzeb severed many heads, he could not shake our faith,” Modi said during his address.
Modi said that the Gurudwara Shishganj, situated near the Red Fort, stands testimony to his sacrifice. Modi also said that the government took steps to evacuate copies of the Guru Granth Sahib from Afghanistan after the Taliban took over.
“Our government is making continuous efforts to link the holy places of pilgrimage connected to Sikh tradition,” PM Modi said.
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