Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre has not sanctioned any funds to acquire land for the Kartarpur corridor. The Congress leader questioned as to how the work would be completed before November in the present circumstances.
“Government of India has not sanctioned funds to even acquire land there. How will we finish the work before November?” the Punjab Chief Minister told mediapersons.
Notably in December, the Punjab Assembly had passed a resolution suggesting swap of land with Pakistan to bring the Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara across the border within the Indian territory.
Dera Baba Nanak MLA Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa had suggested that land from his constituency could be given to Pakistan as part of the swap. The corridor is proposed to start from Dera Baba Nanak.
The assembly also urged the Centre to complete the work for opening the corridor before the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev in November 2019. The founder of Sikhism is believed to have spent 18 years at the gurdwara and opening a cross-border corridor was a long-pending demand of Sikhs.
India laid the foundation stone of the corridor on November 26 and Pakistan did it two days later. The ground-breaking ceremony of Kartarpur corridor was presided over by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. Union ministers Harsimrat Kaur Badal and HS Puri were sent by the government of India to attend the event.
Though Pakistan had invited External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for the event, but she expressed her inability to go for the same, and declared that Harsimrat and Puri would be representing the Indian government.
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh was also invited by Pakistan, but he turned down the invitation, citing killing of Indian soldiers by Pakistani Army. However, his minister Navjot Singh Sidhu attended the event in Pakistan.
(With PTI Inputs)
