Ending days of speculation, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday announced that all Sikh ministers, MLAs and the Speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha belonging to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government would appear before the Akal Takht on Monday to present the government’s stand on the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act.
Accompanied by AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal after a closed-door meeting with Sikh legislators and ministers here, Mann reiterated that the Akal Takht was the supreme temporal authority of the Sikh community and said every directive issued by it would be obeyed “in true letter and spirit”.
“The Akal Takht is above everything for me. Its command is, was and will always remain supreme for me and my family,” Mann said, adding that all those summoned would appear “as humble Sikhs” and present both their individual stand and the government’s position.
He recalled that he had previously appeared before the Akal Takht even at the cost of skipping a function attended by the President of India, saying, “My reverence for the highest Sikh temporal seat is evident from the fact that I even skipped the President’s programme to appear before it.”
Mann said non-Sikh MLAs would also submit their written responses to the Akal Takht.
Responding to a question on whether he would submit any letter to clarify his stand regarding the controversial video that allegedly showed him, following the Akal Takht’s hukamnama declaring him “Guru dokhi” and “Panth virodhi”, Mann said he would submit a written explanation along with details of what he described as a “fake video” in which a person impersonated him by wearing a mask.
On the subsequent call for his social boycott, Mann said he would abide by whatever decision the Sikh sangat took. At the same time, he questioned why similar boycott posters had not been displayed against Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal after he accepted responsibility before the Akal Takht in connection with sacrilege-related incidents.
Without directly accusing the Akal Takht, Mann said questions arise “when political appointees occupying religious positions start taking one-sided decisions to appease their political masters”. The Chief Minister alleged that the Congress, BJP and the SAD were jointly trying to give a religious colour to political issues to target him.
Referring to the Maharashtra Government’s move concerning the management law of Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib, Nanded, Mann urged it not to interfere in Sikh religious affairs, saying such decisions hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community.
Meanwhile, Kejriwal also raised the Ayodhya case, alleging that only “small fish” had been arrested while the main culprits remained untouched. He claimed those arrested had been sent to judicial custody without proper interrogation.
