PM Modi's visit to sacred Sikh city Anandpur Sahib put off

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cancelled his June 19 programme to visit Anandpur Sahib to attend 350th anniversary of the holy town, a move seen as a major setback to the Badals in Punjab.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had on May 29 invited the Prime Minister personally and claimed that the latter accepted his invitation for the same.

Reports, however, suggested that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Anandpur Sahib, which was inaugurated on March 30, 1699 by Guru Gobind Singh.

The Punjab CM had also invited Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

If reports are to be believed, the PM distanced himself from the celebrations as the event is purely religious.

Other reports say that the intelligence agencies expressed security concerns in the backdrop of controversial transfer of Khalistan terrorist Davinderpal Singh Bhullar from Tihar jail to Amritsar jail.

On the other hand, the BJP said that there had never been any confirmation on Modi's visit from any level.

According to party's state unit president, Kamal Sharma, 'whenever Modi visits a state, the party chief of the state is informed and things move in a different manner'.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema too said that there was no confirmation about the PM's visit. Singh said: "No confirmation about his visit but our programme would continue uninterrupted."

The 3-day long event will begin on June 19.