16 Punjab MLAs pay obeisance at Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara

Ravi Dhaliwal

Gurdaspur, November 20

Sixteen AAP MLAs today crossed over to Pakistan through the Kartarpur corridor to pay obeisance at the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib. Many of them were accompanied by their families. The 61-member group included 16 legislators and five officials of the Punjab Assembly. All arrangements were made by the office of the Speaker.

Sujanpur MLA Naresh Puri was also slated to go with the group. However, due to some preoccupation, he had to back out at the last minute.

The visit comes close on the heels of allegations made by BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa that recently a dance party was organised within the premises of the gurdwara in which meat and alcohol was consumed. Sirsa had claimed that a video of the incident had been prepared by some unknown persons and also blamed the gurdwara administration for this.

Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan termed the incident as a matter of grave concern and added that both Indian and Pakistani governments should take cognizance of this and take steps to check such incidents, if any.

Minister Chetan Singh Jaurmajra said officials of the gurdwara management had denied any such party taking place. “There are some people who spread rumours. The management said nothing of this sort had happened within the precincts of the shrine,” he maintained.

Meanwhile, there was a consensus among the MLAs that the mandatory requirement of a passport should be waived by the Union Home Ministry.