NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi on Saturday listed out his government’s numerous measures for Sikhs, including FCRA clearance for Golden Temple, at a diaspora event in Auckland in an outreach to the community, who make up a sizeable part of people of Indian origin in New Zealand and maintain close ties with their native state Punjab where assembly polls are due early next year.With PM Christopher Luxon in attendance, PM Modi said Indians contribute to the development of their adopted country and stated that he felt proud when their positive role was acknowledged by the host government.“We love our motherland and dedicate ourselves equally to our ‘karmbhoomi’,” he said, before turning to his government’s focus on conserving India’s heritage and citing its emergency measures to bring back copies of Guru Granth Sahib from crisis-hit Afghanistan following Taliban’s takeover of Kabul.Lauding Sikh gurus, he said when members of the community brought up problems they faced in offering service at Golden Temple in connection with FCRA, his government immediately addressed them.PM Modi spoke of the ongoing work to connect Hemkund Sahib with a ropeway to make the holy place located at a high altitude more accessible to pilgrims and his government’s decision for annual commemoration of the martyrdom of Guru Gobind Singh’s sons.In this context, he noted that the family of his Cabinet colleague Hardeep Puri had preserved the shoes worn by the last Sikh guru and his wife for 300 years. As they wanted the sacred relics open to the viewing of devotees, his government on the advice of experts turned them over to Patna Sahib Gurdwara, which is at the site of the guru’s birthplace, he said, adding that he was present during the ceremony.PM Modi’s 12 years in office have been marked by his repeated outreach to Sikhs to deepen BJP’s acceptance among the community, which is in a majority in Punjab and has been traditionally lukewarm to the party’s unabashed championing of Hindutva. With assembly polls approaching in Punjab where BJP’s vote share has increased on back of local satraps joining party over last few years, BJP is looking to win over a section of Sikhs to emerge as a strong force.
