Amidst unprecedented security blanket draped over the city, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh arrived here today evening to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple. He would visit the shrine in the wee hours tomorrow, keeping in view the convenience of the devotees.

Accompanied by his wife Gursharan Kaur, the PM will listen to kirtan and Gurbani for about an hour inside the sanctum sanctorum.

His visit was termed by authorities as a “private” one with no official engagements listed. The PM, who belongs to the city, will stay at the local circuit house, which has been barricaded by security personnel. The security was tight on the roads leading to the airport and the Golden Temple. This is the first trip of the PM outside Delhi after his heart surgery.

The police parties visited various media offices near the Golden Temple to verify their credentials, much to the chagrin of journalists. “Police parties asked journalists to keep the offices closed. We will protest against this act,” said Chandigarh-Punjab Union of Journalists’ district head Jasbir Singh Patti.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Finance Minister Manpreet Badal, MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee head Mohinder Singh Kaypee, former MLAs, Jasbir Singh Dimpa, Jugal Kishore Sharma, Darbari Lal, MLA, and Lok Sabha candidate OP Soni and other local Congress leaders received the PM at the airport.

“The PM will also pay tributes to the martyrs at Jallianwala Bagh and pay obeisance at the Durgiana Temple before flying back to Delhi,” said District Congress Committee head SRS Lally Majithia.

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