Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (NJC)

Mangaluru, Sep 28: NSUI Dakshina Kannada vice-president Sukhwinder Singh Rathour has urged the Karnataka government to declare Guru Nanak Jayanti (Guru Nanak Gurpurab) as a state government holiday.

Rathour submitted a representation to chief minister D K Shivakumar, seeking his intervention in recommending the proposal to the Karnataka government. A similar representation was also submitted to minister for minority affairs U T Khader, according to the letters.

In his representation, Rathour highlighted the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism, particularly equality, brotherhood, honesty, selfless service and communal harmony. He said Guru Nanak's message of “Ik Onkar” and the tradition of Langar promote unity and equality among people from different sections of society.

Rathour stated that declaring Guru Nanak Jayanti a state holiday would honour these values and reflect Karnataka's commitment to diversity, social harmony and respect for all communities.

He requested the chief minister and the minority affairs minister to take up the matter with the state government for consideration. U T Khader currently holds the minority affairs portfolio in Karnataka.