Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday launched a blistering attack on the Union Government, demanding immediate reopening of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor and permission for Sikh jathas to visit Kartarpur Sahib and Nankana Sahib in Pakistan. Declaring that he would soon write formally to the Centre, Mann accused the Narendra Modi-led Government of carrying a “grudge against Punjab” and warned that denying devotees access to their holiest shrines amounted to “playing with the sentiments of Punjabis”.
Drawing a sharp contrast between religious devotion and political interests, the CM asked why cricket matches with Pakistan were permitted while Sikh pilgrims were barred from offering prayers. “Politics can wait, cricket can wait, but devotion cannot wait,” he thundered, questioning whether the will of “Amit Shah’s son” mattered more to the Government than the faith of millions of Sikhs.
The Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, inaugurated in 2019, is a dedicated visa-free passage connecting Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab with Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan — the place where Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism, spent his final years. The corridor holds immense religious and emotional significance for Sikhs worldwide, offering direct access to one of their most sacred shrines. Pilgrimages were suspended during the pandemic and have since faced frequent disruptions due to strained India-Pakistan relations.
While devotees from Punjab are denied access citing security concerns, trade through other routes and cultural exchanges are selectively allowed, fueling resentment.
Mann said that allowing India-Pakistan cricket during the Asia Cup but closing Kartarpur and Nankana visits exposed the Centre’s hypocrisy. “If you can allow cricket ties, why not religious pilgrimages? Either you allow everything or stop everything,” he said.
He alleged that the BJP-led Centre was deliberately targeting Punjab because of the state’s farmers’ movement that forced the rollback of the three farm laws. “They hate Punjabis because we stood our ground. They may try to weaken us, but Punjabis have it in their blood to resurrect themselves,” he asserted. He further questioned why trade with Pakistan was permitted via Gujarat and Mumbai ports, but Wagah trade and people-to-people ties through Punjab remained shut.
Continuing his tirade, Mann said that the Centre’s selective approvals and bans were guided by political convenience rather than national interest. He recalled how a Punjabi film was banned because a Pakistani actress featured in it, with Punjabi artists being branded “traitors”, yet cricket with Pakistan was allowed without objection. “When it suits them, they ban our films; when it suits them, they let matches happen. This is step-motherly treatment with Punjab,” he said.
Warning the Centre against further alienating the state, Mann said that Punjabis would never forget the injustices meted out by the BJP-led Government. “Punjab doesn’t need a certificate of patriotism from anyone, least of all from those in power today. If their will prevails, they will omit Punjab’s name from the national anthem also. But let me remind them — Modi is PM only because Punjabis made supreme sacrifices during the freedom struggle,” he declared.
Slamming both the Akalis and the state BJP leadership as “opportunists who plundered Punjab’s wealth,” the CM said that people were wise to their dubious character. “The Modi Government is suffering from an anti-Punjab syndrome. But Punjab will rise again, stronger and more united,” he concluded.
