Viksit Bharat born out of Guru Ravidas’ philosophy, country working in mission mode to achieve it: PM Modi

Modi’s visit to the Dera comes days after its head Sant Niranjan Das was chosen for Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award.

The PM who paid tributes to Guru Ravidas on his 649th birth anniversary, also praised Dera Ballan saying its wortks in the field of social service has been highly commendable. He praised the works done by Sant Peepal Das and Sant Shravan Das in spreading Guru Ravidas’ teachings and lauded the social, educational and health initiatives undertaken by the Dera. He said that under Sant Niranjan Das, the Dera’s work had expanded globally.

“Isi yogdan ko dekhte hue, hamari sarkar ne Sant Niranjan Das ji ko Padma Shri se sammanit kiya hai (In recognition of this contribution, our government has honoured Sant Niranjan Das with the Padma Shri),” the PM said after taking the blessings of the Dera head by touching his feet.

Located at Ballan in Jalandhar, the Dera is the largest and most influential institution of Ravidassia community, the followers of Sant Ravidas. Conservative estimates put its global following at over 20 lakh, with nearly 15 lakh followers in Punjab, most of them concentrated in Doaba. Modi’s visit to the Dera, though on an invitation by Sant Niranajn Das, is being seen as an attempt by the BJP to woo the Ravidassia community. It comes at a time when the saffron party is on an outreach overdrive in the border state that goes to polls early next year.

The prime minister reached the Adampur airport in Jalandhar at around 3.45 pm following the presentation of the Union Budget by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament. Before visiting the Dera, Modi unveiled the new name of the Adampur airport as Shri Guru Ravidass Maharaj Ji Airport and also virtually inaugurated the civil terminal building at the Halwara airport in Ludhiana.

Later, addressing the gathering at the Dera, Modi said his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi also happens to be the birthplace of Guru Ravidas.

“Mera rishta Sant Ravidas ji ki janambhoomi Kashi se hai. Jab bhi main Seer Govardhanpur jaata hoon, mujhe Punjab ke bhai-behnon se milne ka saubhagya milta hai. Aaj main Sant Ravidas ji ki prerna bhoomi Punjab mein aaya hoon. Main Punjab di is dharti nu naman karda haan (My bond is with Kashi, the birthplace of Sant Ravidas. Whenever I visit Seer Govardhanpur, I get to meet brothers and sisters from Punjab. Today, I have come to Punjab, the land that inspired Sant Ravidas. I bow to this soil of Punjab),” Modi said.

Greeting the sangat with “Dhan-dhan Gurudev, Jai Gurudev”, the Prime Minister said he believed his visit to the Dera was guided by the will of Guru Ravidas.

Recalling the social reformer’s teachings, Modi said the saint was born over six centuries ago during a period of conflict and upheaval, and gave society the message of equality — “Ek hi maati ke sab bhaande.”

Expressing gratitude to the Dera, he recalled that a few months ago, a special ‘Ardas’ was performed for him on his birthday. “This is not ordinary thing for me, but a special one in my life.”

Linking the Union Budget with inclusive growth, PM said it focused on villages, farmers, women, healthcare and employment. He highlighted allocations of over Rs 17 lakh crore for infrastructure, irrigation and housing, along with steps to make healthcare affordable, including cheaper cancer medicines.

Calling Punjab a key MSME and textile hub, he said the Budget and the recently concluded India–European Union trade deal — described by him as the “mother of all deals” — would open markets of 27 European countries for Punjab’s textiles and sports goods, especially in Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Amritsar.

He said the deal would lead to more orders and jobs but cautioned industry to focus on quality, stressing that Made in India must stand for global excellence.

Focusing on Punjab, the Prime Minister said the budget has special relevance for cities like Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Hoshiarpur. He pointed out that Punjab is among the few states with a strong MSME culture, and therefore special provisions have been made for MSMEs.

He further said Punjab already has a strong sporting industry and culture and that schemes like Khelo India, which will further strengthen sports infrastructure, coaching and talent, will benefit Jalandhar. However, he cautioned industry and youth to focus on quality. “Maine duniya ka bazaar aapke liye khol diya hai, lekin product quality par koi samjhauta nahi hona chahiye. Jab duniya kahe ki yeh product Bharat se aaya hai, to usse ‘value for money’ kaha jaaye (I have opened the global marketplace for you, but there must be no compromise on product quality. When the world says this product has come from India, it should be seen as value for money)” he said, adding that Guru Ravidas himself preached the dignity of labour.

PM Modi also noted that Guru Ravidas Jayanti is now being celebrated at the national level, with several states declaring holidays, and said a Guru Ravidas temple and museum is coming up in Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, whose foundation stone he had laid.

Emphasising the egalitarian ideology of Guru Ravidas and how his government is carrying that philosophy forward through various welfare and development schemes, the Prime Minister said that saints who preached social harmony are being given due national recognition. In this context, he pointed out that in Ayodhya too, his government has named the airport after Maharishi Valmiki. Jalandhar has considerable Valmiki population too.