3 min readChandigarhDec 30, 2025 03:56 PM IST
First published on: Dec 30, 2025 at 03:56 PM IST
The Opposition Congress in Punjab on Tuesday raised the issue of renaming Veer Bal Diwas—a commemorative day announced by the Centre to honour the martyrdom of Guru Gobind Singh’s younger sons—during the special session of Vidhan Sabha, while other parties, including the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), chose not to broach the matter.
At the onset of the session, the House remembered the four Sahibzadas as Congress member Rana Gurjit Singh called for a resolution against “attempts to distort history of Sikhs.”
“The martyrdom day of the younger Sahibzadas is being called Veer Bal Diwas (Brave Children’s Day). They were not children; they are our babas (revered elders). Similarly, Banda Singh Bahadur is being called Banda Bairagi. He was a bairagi (ascetic) before he partook of amrit (nectar of immortality). It is not right to call him a bairagi today,” he said.
BJP state acting president and Pathankot MLA Ashwani Sharma stepped in to clarify the issue. “The supreme sacrifice of the Sahibzadas is being remembered in every language across the country, whether it is Tamil or Malayalam, and we are stuck on the name. I do not want to delve into who recommended this name,” he said. Reciting two Hindi poems on the floor of the House, Sharma remembered the younger Sahibzadas and said that this sacrifice was for uniting the country.
Political parties in Punjab have been demanding that Veer Bal Diwas is a misnomer and the day should be referred to as Sahibzadas Shahadat Diwas (Martyrdom Day of the Sahibzadas).
AAP president and Cabinet minister Aman Arora dared Sharma to name the person who had recommended changing the name. To this, Sharma said that he did not want to indulge in politics on this solemn occasion. “There is a lot of information about this on social media. You can check it there. I will not say anything about this today,” he said.
Earlier, Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan began the special session by paying homage to the unparalleled sacrifice of the four Sahibzadas of Sri Guru Gobind Singh. Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan said that they can never be forgotten.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that the younger Sahibzadas made the ultimate sacrifice when children are not even aware of their surroundings.
SAD member Manpreet Singh Ayali and BSP member Dr Nacchattar Singh also paid tributes to the Sahibzadas and remembered their sacrifice.
AAP MLA Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar said that the younger Sahibzadas were tempted, threatened, and everything was done to break their resolve, but they could not be made to bow down. Dr Nijjar gave a clarion call not to lower the dignity of the solemn occasion by arguing in the House on Tuesday.
In December 1704, Guru Gobind Singh’s mother, Mata Gujari Ji, and his two younger sons, Zorawar Singh, 9, and Fateh Singh, 7, were executed at Sirhind for not embracing Islam.
In January 2022, the Centre announced that December 26 would be observed as Veer Bal Diwas to mark the martyrdom of Guru Gobind Singh’s younger sons.
At the onset of the session, the House remembered the four Sahibzadas as Congress member Rana Gurjit Singh called for a resolution against “attempts to distort history of Sikhs.” (PTI) 
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