Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal, on January 1 called Baba Banda Singh Bahadur more than just a name but a story of bravery, a saint, and a great commander. He said this in a ceremony, in which, he laid the foundation stone of the memorial to Baba Banda Singh Bahadur. The Memorial is to be constructed at Lohgarh (near Bhagwangarh village) in Yamunanagar district, which shares a boundary with Himachal Pradesh.?

He said, “The memorial shall certainly revive the saga of bravery and sacrifice of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur in Lohgarh, the first capital of the ‘Sikh Raj’ established by him,” said the CM.

In the last couple of years, BJP is trying to make the Sikh hero Banda Singh Bahadur his own.

Who is Banda Singh Bahadur?

Banda Singh Bahadur, a disciple of Guru Gobind Singh was an important Sikh icon. Under Guru Gobind Singh's guidance, he converted to Sikhism, and became a warrior, and fought the Mughals.

Banda Singh Bahadur was born on 27 October 1670 in a Hindu family, in the home of a farmer father named Ram Dev at Rajouri, now part of Jammu. Originally named Lachman Dev, he turned an ascetic at the age of 15 after which he accepted the name, Madho Das Bairagi.?

In 1708, he met Guru Gobind Singh, who changed his life completely. Guru conferred the title of Banda Singh Bahadur to him and appointed him as the military lieutenant.

Relevance for BJP

Experts believe that Sikhs constitute a significant vote bank in Haryana, thus, Banda Singh Bahadur carries huge relevance for the saffron party.

On the 350th birth anniversary of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, PM Modi and several union ministers paid tribute to him.

PM tweeted, “tributes to the brave Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Ji on his 350th Jayanti. He lives in the hearts of millions. He is remembered for his sense of justice. He made many efforts to empower the poor. Sharing an earlier speech in which I spoke about his greatness.”