Modi to attend Guru Nanak Dev's 550th birth anniversary celebrations

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the function to mark the 550th Parkash Purab of Guru Nanak Dev on November 12 at Sultanpur Lodhi in Punjab, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) said on Monday.

A SAD delegation led by its President Sukhbir Singh Badal met the Prime Minister in New Delhi and invited him to attend the function. The delegation also included Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President Gobind Singh Longowal and Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal. 

The delegation apprised the Prime Minister about the various programmes to be held to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.

Sukhbir Badal said that Modi has agreed to attend the function and even instructed the Ministry of External Affairs to facilitate the 'nagar kirtan' commencing from Sri Nankana Sahib, the birth place of Guru Nanak Dev in Pakistan, on July 25.

The SAD delegation also told Modi that Sikh devotes from across the world wanted to mark the celebrations by holding appropriate commemorative functions at all places visited by Guru Nanak Dev.

The Prime Minister assured to facilitate these functions through Indian missions abroad and also assured to provide all the needed support to the organisers.

The SGPC is preparing a list of venues where functions will be held and the same will be released to the Sikh devotees soon. IANS