Centre to commemorate 200th anniversary of Satguru Ram Singh

The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the meeting. (PTI File Photo)

In a move to woo the voters in Punjab ahead of Assembly polls next year, the Centre has decided to commemorate 200th birth anniversary of Satguru Ram Singh, the founder of the Sikh’s Namdhari sect. The decision was taken on Thursday at a joint meeting of two Executive Committees constituted for commemoration of birth centenary of Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya and 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh. The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the meeting.

Several other ministers, including Finance Minister Arun Jaitely, and dignitaries are members of these committees. “During the course of the meeting, it has been decided to commemorate 200th Birth Anniversary of Satguru Ram Singh in a befitting manner,” an official release said.

The decision was taken keeping in view the contributions made by him towards the cause of the society, it said. Born on February 12, 1816, Singh founded the Namdhari sect. Namdharis consider themselves a sect of Sikhism but insist that the line of Sikh gurus did not end with Guru Gobind Singh and was continued through the Namdhari leaders.