Asserting that the Indian constitution drafted by Bharat Ratna Dr. BR Ambedkar was in unison with the philosophy and teachings of Sri Guru Ravidass ji Maharaj, the Social Justice Minister Punjab Sadhu Singh Dharmsot today called upon people to join hands for protection of the constitution as a real and befitting tribute to great Guru ji.Presiding over a state level function to mark the parkash utsav of Sri Guru Ravidass ji Maharaj here today at Sri Guru Ravidass Bhawan, the Minister said that some fissiparous forces were hell bent upon destroying the basic spirit of the Indian constitution, which needs to be checked by one and all especially by the followers of the great Guru ji. He said that Sri Guru Ravidass ji Maharaj had preached the ideology of egalitarian society which was duly incorporated by Baba Sahib Ambedkar in the constitution for safeguarding the interests of weaker sections of society. Mr. Dharmsot said that it was bounden duty of all the followers of the great Guru ji to safeguard the constitution and to protect the rights enshrined in the constitution for the weaker and the underprivileged sections of society.Reiterating the firm commitment of the Punjab government led by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh to secure the interests of the weaker sections of society, the Minister said that several path breaking initiatives have already been taken by the state government in this regard. He said that no stone was being left unturned for the well being the needy and underprivileged sections of the society. Mr. Dharmsot said that Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh was fully concerned for this noble cause.
The Minister further said that due to the stupendous efforts of the state government, the Union government has released funds worth Rs 600 crore for the post matric scholarship scheme. He said that these funds were pending for the period of 2014-17 but now the state government has disbursed this amount to the colleges and sent the Utilization Certificate (UC) to the centre. Mr. Dharmsot assailed the Union government led By BJP for backtracking from implementing this pro-poor welfare scheme initiated by the former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. However, he categorically said that Punjab government led by Captain Amarinder Singh would not allow this to happen and this scheme would be implemented fully for the welfare of Schedule Caste (SC) students.Paying floral tributes to Sri Guru Ravidass ji Maharaj, the Minister said that the message of Guru Ravidass ji has been a source of knowledge and wisdom for whole society. He said that life and teachings of Sri Guru Ravidass Maharaj ji would always inspire us to create a humane and just society, where every individual was given due dignity, regardless of his or her caste, creed, religion or gender. Mr. Dharmsot further said that the message of love, compassion and equality preached by Sri Guru Ravidass ji would continue to inspire us to serve humanity with dedication and devotion in times to come.Felicitating the people on this solemn occasion, the Minister urged the people to tread the path shown by Sri Guru Ravidass Maharaj ji. He said that the life and teachings of Sri Guru Ravidass Ji continue to guide humanity towards an egalitarian society.
Mr. Dharmsot said that Sri Guru Ravidass Ji was a great spiritual ambassador and messiah of the poor and unprivileged sections of the society, who taught us to lead a virtuous and noble life.Earlier addressing the gathering MLAs Mr. Pargat Singh, Mr. Sushil Kumar Rinku, Chaudhary Surinder Singh and Mr. Rajinder Beri welcomed the Minister to the city. They unequivocally lauded the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh for organizing this state level function at Jalandhar. They said that along with the overall development of the state, the Punjab government was also committed for ensuring the well being of the poor and needy people in the state.On the occasion, the MLAs accompanied by Deputy Commissioner Mr. Varinder Kumar Sharma and Commissioner of Police Mr. Gurpreet Singh Bhullar present a momento to the Chief guest along with a shawl and siropa (Robe of Honor).The Minister also announced a grant of Rs 10 lakh from his discretionary fund for the Sri Guru Ravidass Bhawan.On the occasion Deputy Commissioner Mr. Varinder Kumar Sharma, Commissioner of Police Mr. Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, Additional Deputy Commissioner Mr. Jasbir Singh, District and Session Judge Kapurthala Mr. Kishore Kumar, Municipal Councilors Dr. Jasleen Sethi, Mr. Jagdish Samrai and Mr. Sucha Singh, Congress leaders Mr. Ashok Gupta, Mr. Yashpal Dhiman and Mr. Amrit Khosla were also present.Prominent amongst others present on the occasion included Mr. Kapil Dev IAS (Retd.), President of Trust Mrs. Leena Dev, Dr. Jasbir Singh Saabir, Revenue Officer Mr. Manohar Lal, Principal RL Sally, Prof SK Middha, Mr. Hari Singh Thind, Mr. Sohan Lal, Mr. Mulk Raj Malhan and Mr. Darshan Lekh.