Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh lays the foundation stone

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Monday laid the foundation stone for the construction of the Kartarpur road corridor, which will allow pilgrims to easily travel to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan.

The ceremony was held in Mann village, Gurdaspur district, Punjab. Trade union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Harsimrat Kaur Badal, as well as Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, were present at the ceremony, which was also attended by Shiromani Akali Dal leaders and workers.

Naidu said that "the long-standing dream of the Sikhs has been realized," The Indian Express reported. "It's a historic day," he said. "This will bring us closer to our guru who has worked for social equality and gender equality and fought the caste system."

"We are pleased that Pakistan has accepted our request. [to construct a corridor on its side of the border], Said the vice president. "Now we do not have to go through Attari anymore. This corridor will be the bridge between the peoples of the two countries that have so much in common. The corridor will open new avenues and possibilities for us. "

He said that the purpose of this function is to work for peace. "Peace is the first condition of development," said Naidu. "I hope people on the other side also listen to what CM Singh and I have to say in this regard. The purpose of this function is to work for peace. "

"Some people use religion to spread terrorism," he added. "But no religion has nothing to do with terrorism. India never attack any country. We do not want to attack anyone. "

Amarinder Singh said he hoped the corridor would be built for the 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak's birth next year, and added that rumors that a visa will be required to use this corridor were false . He also criticized Pakistan for the attack in Amritsar last week that left three dead. "I was in the army. I am the chief of the Pakistani army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa, "he said. "Who taught us to attack members of a religious congregation? We Punjabis know how to give an appropriate response to such forces. "

"As Sikh, I wanted to attend the ceremony in Pakistan," Singh added. "But I am also the chief minister of Punjab."

Singh had cited the attack in Amritsar to deny Pakistan's invitation to attend a similar ceremony on its side of the border on Wednesday.

Earlier, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley praised the government's decision to build the corridor and called it a "historic day". "The faithful in India will be facilitated by laying the foundation of the Dera Baba Nanak-Kartarpur Sahib road corridor to the international border with Pakistan," he said. wrote on Twitter. "This corridor will provide easy access for the faithful to pay homage to historic and sacred shrines."

Before the inauguration, Punjab Cabinet Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa stuck a black stone on the names of the ministers on the foundation stone to protest against the inclusion of Parkash Singh Badal and Sukhbir Singh Badal of Shiromani Akali Dal, ANI reported. "This is not a BJP-Akali event," he said. "Why is their name here?"

On November 22, the Center approved the development of the Kartarpur Corridor of Dera Baba Nanak, in Gurdaspur District, at the international border to mark the 550th anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak next year. . Gurdwara is located on the site of the death of Guru Nanak, the first Sikh guru, in 1539, and is one of the most sacred sanctuaries of Sikhism.

Pakistan has agreed to build a similar corridor on its territory. Prime Minister Imran Khan is expected to lay the groundwork for his construction on November 28th. The Minister of External Affairs of the Union, Sushma Swaraj, has already made the commitment to refuse the invitation, and the Deputy Minister of the Union, Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Hardeep Singh Puri will attend the event.

Khan also invited Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu to the ceremony. Sidhu Sunday said that he had asked the Department of External Affairs for permission to participate in the event.