Chandigarh, May 28 (PTI) A local BJP leader on Tuesday here lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his initiatives for the Sikhs, and claimed that it is due to his efforts, Gurbani is now being translated into 19 Indian languages, as well as Spanish.

The effort, which started with the commemoration of the 550th 'Prakash Parv' – Guru Nanak Dev's birth anniversary – is coming to fruition, as with UNESCO's help, Gurbani is also being translated into international languages like Spanish, which is the second-most spoken language in Europe, R P Singh, the national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party, said.

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R P Singh accused the previous opposition governments of failing to make significant efforts to resolve long-standing Sikh concerns.

"Earlier, Sikhs could access Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan only through binoculars from Dera Baba Nanak (Punjab). Modi ji opened the Kartarpur Corridor," Singh said.

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He alleged that the Congress missed the opportunity to secure Kartarpur Sahib from Pakistan after the 1971 war, when over 90,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered to India.

The politician highlighted such changes as making langar tax-free and changing the rules to allow foreign donations to the Golden Temple as two of the Modi government's achievements.

"Modi ji ensured that the 550th Prakash Parv of Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the 400th Prakash Purb of Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, and the 350th Prakash Purb of Guru Gobind Singh Ji are celebrated by the Government of India," he said.

Singh highlighted the Modi government's recognition of the martyrdom of the 'Sahibzaade' (the sons Guru Gobind Singh) by observing 'Veer Bal Diwas' and organising various programmes in schools and colleges to spread the message.

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(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)