Reacting to the appearance of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs before the Akal Takht over Jagat Jyot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026, Giani Harpreet Singh, president of Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjeet), criticised leaders of the Shiromani Akali Dal for their contradictory stand on the authority of the Akal Takht.
Referring to the controversy following the Akal Takht’s directives issued on December 2, 2024, Giani Harpreet Singh said he was thankful that AAP did not have legal advisers like SAD leaders who had earlier argued that political parties could not comply with certain Akal Takht directives because of constitutional and Election Commission provisions.
He said if leaders such as Daljit Singh Cheema, Maheshinder Singh Grewal and Parmjeet Singh Sarna had been advising AAP, they would have claimed that the party’s MLAs could not appear before the Akal Takht as it could allegedly invite constitutional complications or even affect the party’s recognition. He further said they would have questioned how the Akal Takht could direct an elected government to repeal or amend a law.
Taking a further dig at the SAD (Badal) leadership, Giani Harpreet Singh sarcastically advised AAP to induct leaders such as Daljit Cheema, Meshi Grewal and Sarna into the party, saying their legal expertise would prove useful in such situations.
