Jalandhar: PM Narendra Modi said on Sunday that his govt is continuously promoting the ideals espoused by saint Ravidas, a revered spiritual figure especially among Dalits, as he named Adampur airport after him and paid tributes to the social reformer at the biggest dera of his followers on his birth anniversary. “I am confident that we will continue to strengthen the roots of our society with these efforts,” he said at Dera Sachkhand Ballan in a message of unity to the poet-saint’s followers, emphasising that Ravidas’s teaching of equality has driven his govt’s agenda for building a country where everybody gets respect and opportunity. This is what Viksit Bharat envisages, he added.His birth anniversary is now commemorated at a national level and many states, too, have officially recognised it, he told the gathering, drawing attention to his govt’s work to build his temples and memorials, including at his birthplace in Varanasi, Modi’s parliamentary constituency. Modi’s outreach to the Ravidassia community, who are in large numbers in Punjab while the saint enjoys following among other Dalit and disadvantaged communities in the state and outside as well, is being seen as part of his continuing efforts to deepen BJP’s bond with Scheduled Castes. Dalits make up 32% of voters in Punjab, more than any other state, are especially influential with nearly 42% share in Doaba, the region where the dera is situated. The dera’s spiritual head Niranjan Dass was recently awarded with Padma Shri by govt and Modi said it was a recognition of his welfare efforts in fields like education and health, as he touched his feet in a show of respect. He said over 600 years back Ravidas spoke for equality and helped grow new consciousness in society, which acknowledged its weaknesses and worked to remove them, an apparent reference to social discrimination against lower castes. Before arriving at the dera, the PM unveiled the new name of the Adampur airport as Sri Guru Ravidass Maharaj Ji Airport, Adampur, and also virtually inaugurated the terminal building at the Halwara airport in Ludhiana. Linking these actions to a broader vision, he said that just as his govt named the Ayodhya airport after Maharishi Valmiki, the renaming of Adampur airport reflects the spirit of egalitarianism. Connecting the Union Budget to the Guru’s vision of “Begumpura” (a land of equality and dignity), the PM said that the country is in mission mode to achieve Viksit Bharat. He said the Union Budget was presented on Guru Ravidas Jayanti as a symbolic alignment of goals. Dera head blocked conversions: BJP Sant Niranjan Dass was the only person with the PM on the dais, while senior BJP leader Avinash Chander conducted the stage. Avinash claimed that Sant Niranjan Dass did not let the conversions (to Christianity) of the community members happen in the region. “It is his charisma that he held the people with him and there were very few conversions from the community,” he said. Chander, who conducted the state, mentioned the murder attempt on the dera head at a Vienna temple in 2009, in which his deputy, Sant Ramanand, was killed. Referring to the Padma Shri given to the dera head, he said, “It’s for the first time that such an honour was given to our Maharaj. We thank the PM for this. The PM also accepted our other demand to name Adampur airport after Guru Ravidas.” “We have to take forward the Ravidasia religion. There are 20-22 crore SCs in the country, and out of these, 8-10 crore are Ravidasias. The PM’s visit sent a message among all of them, and we want you to keep blessing our community,” he said, adding that the PM’s two big decisions (the Padma award and naming the airport) and visit were etched deeply in people’s minds. Hoarding mentions Ravidasia religion foundation anniv A hoarding at the back of the stage at Dera Sachkhand Ballan specifically mentioned the 17th anniversary of the foundation of the Ravidasia religion, along with the 649th birth anniversary of Guru Ravidas. The dera announced the founding of the new Ravidasia religion on Ravidas Jayanti in 2010 at Guru’s birthplace in Varanasi and also launched a separate granth, “Amrit Bani Sri Guru Ravidas”. In 2020, the dera head and others wrote to PM Narendra Modi to include the new religion in the Census.Amarinder, Jakhar, attend event Former chief minister Captain marinder Singh met PM Modi at Dera Sachkhand Ballan, posting his picture of the meeting, expressing gratitude for renaming Aaampur airport after Sant Ravidas, conferring the Padma Shri on Sant Niranjan Dass, and inaugurating the Halwara international airport terminal. BJP Punjab president Sunil Jakhar, working president Ashwani Sharma, National Commission for Minorities Chairman Iqbal Singh Lalpura, and several other senior BJP leaders were also present on the occasion. MSID:: 127843783 413 |
