Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday termed the ‘Dharam Yudh Morcha’ proposed by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) against him as ‘Dharam Virudh Morcha’. He accused the Badal family of exploiting religion for political gains.
Mann has been under attack from opposition parties over the circulation of a video purportedly showing him committing blasphemy.
Addressing a gathering at Mandi Kalan village here, Mann largely slammed the Badal family and the Congress while refraining from criticising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Claiming that the SAD leadership had repeatedly taken shelter behind religious issues whenever it found itself politically cornered, Mann said, “Those who could not stand by religion have no right to talk about a ‘Dharam Yudh Morcha’. They have used religion for their own interests.”
The CM asserted that he was not afraid of such campaigns and said the Akal Takht commanded the respect and reverence of every Sikh. “However, certain individuals occupying positions there act selectively. I urge people to free religion from the influence of some individuals and liberate gurdwaras from ‘masands’ (self-serving intermediaries),” he said. The CM also appealed to the Centre to conduct elections to the SGPC.
Mann also spoke about “leadership struggles” in the Congress and claimed that it had several chief ministerial aspirants but no united leadership.
During a function in Bathinda earlier in the day, the CM handed over appointment letters to 665 persons for jobs in the PSPCL.
