The Aam Aadmi Party has decided that all its ministers and MLAs will appear before Sri Akal Takht Sahib on Monday. This decision was taken during a meeting of party MLAs and ministers held on Sunday in the presence of party convener Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
The Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht had directed all Sikh MLAs and the entire cabinet to appear before Sri Akal Takht Sahib on June 29 due to the failure to amend the provisions of the sacrilege law enacted by the Punjab government. Speaking to reporters alongside Arvind Kejriwal after Sunday’s meeting, Bhagwant Mann stated that every directive issued by Sri Akal Takht Sahib would be followed in letter and spirit. All party ministers, MLAs, and the Assembly Speaker summoned by Sri Akal Takht Sahib will appear on Monday as humble Sikhs to clarify the government’s position and present their case.
Details Regarding the Video Will Also Be Submitted to Sri Akal Takht Sahib
Additionally, they will submit all details concerning the fake video featuring an impersonator to Sri Akal Takht Sahib. Mann noted that no formal letter summoning him personally had been issued. Regarding the Maharashtra government’s decision to repeal the 70-year-old “Nanded Sikh Gurdwara Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib Act, 1956,” the Chief Minister stated, “The Maharashtra government should not interfere in the religious affairs of the Sikh community. The BJP government in Maharashtra should refrain from taking steps that hurt the religious sentiments of Sikhs. Politics and religion are distinct matters and should not be conflated under any circumstances.”
**Declaration by the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib on June 15**
It is noteworthy that on June 15, the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib had declared him *Guru-te-Panth Dokhi* (an offender against the Guru and the Panth) in connection with a video featuring the Chief Minister. For this reason, Mann has not been asked to appear.
Mann stated that the SGPC has now ordered the display of posters outside gurdwaras calling for his social boycott. He questioned why such posters were never put up against the Shiromani Akali Dal or Sukhbir Badal, even though they had personally accepted responsibility for incidents of sacrilege. Mann asserted that the *Sangat* (congregation) is wise and the public is supreme. He alleged that the BJP, Congress, and Akali Dal aim to gain political mileage by tarnishing his religious reputation.
