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Vaisakhi 2015: Nick Clegg message

The Deputy Prime Minister has issued a message to mark the festival of Vaisakhi.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, has issued the following message to mark the festival of Vaisakhi:

I would like to send my very best wishes to Sikh communities in the UK, India and around the world as you mark the festival of Vaisakhi and the birth of the Khalsa. Towns and cities all over Britain will be enriched by the spectacular colour and energy of the magnificent celebrations that will soon fill our streets.

I will never forget my visit to the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib in Delhi last August where I saw the core values of charity and community in action on such a vast scale. I also had the honour of touring the magnificent new museum where the story of Vaisakhi and Guru Gobind Rai was explained to me in vivid detail.

The Sikh communities of Great Britain are a vital part of our society and you make a unique contribution to every aspect of our national life. Our country would quite simply not be the same without you and that is a measure of our affection for your values and the Gurus’ teaching of tolerance and social justice that are as relevant today as they have ever been.

Published 14 April 2015