BATHINDA: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal today announced that once the SAD-BSP alliance was formed in Punjab, the Mukh Mantri Teerath Yatra scheme initiated by former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal would be restarted covering this ‘dham’ as well as places of worship of all religions.
The SAD President visited the Sri Salasar Balaji Dham temple & Mata Anjani temple in Churu Distt of Rajasthan along with senior leaders predominantly from the Malwa region of the State. He prayed for peace and communal harmony as well as universal brotherhood besides wishing for progress and prosperity for Punjab and Punjabis.
The temple trust management honoured the SAD president as well as the senior party leadership on the occasion. Mr Sukhbir Badal also interacted with pilgrims besides obliging well wishers with selfies.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Badal said the erstwhile SAD led government had initiated the Mukhmantri Tirath Yatra scheme, under which trains and buses used to take Punjabis on pilgrimage to Salasar, Mata Vaishno Devi, Mata Chintpurni, Ajmer Sharif, Hazoor Sahib and other places of worship. “This service was started after some aged women approached Mr Parkash Singh Badal and said they wished to go on a pilgrimage to Sri Hazur Sahib but did not have the means to do so. The Punjab government provided this service free of cost to the devotees. However it was halted immediately after the Congress party formed the government in 2017. We will re-start it immediately after the next SAD-BSP government is formed”, Mr Badal added.
Senior leaders from the party lauded the SAD President’s decision and said it was in line with former chief minister P S Badal’s policy to give utmost respect to each and every religious community in Punjab. The senior leaders who accompanied the SAD President on the occasion included Sikander Singh Maluka, Anil Joshi, NK Sharma, Sarup Chand Singla, Prem Arora, Parkash Chand Garg, Jeet Mohinder Sidhu, Kanwarjit Singh Rozy Barkandi, Harpreet Singh, Prem Arora, Gulzar Singh, Hans Raj Josan, Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon, Mantar Singh Brar, Tirath Singh Mahla, Parkash Singh Bhatti, Gurdev Singh Manuke, Vardev Singh Noni Mann, Barjinder Singh Makhan Brar, Satnam Singh Rahi, Kulwant Singh Keetu and Dilraj Singh Bhundar.