Senior Congress leader and former Punjab minister Balbir Singh Sidhu today strongly condemned Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's alleged confrontational approach towards Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the highest temporal authority of the Sikh Panth, and its respected Jathedars.
In a press statement issued here, Sidhu said that Bhagwant Mann should acknowledge what he described as a grave mistake and immediately present himself before Sri Akal Takht Sahib, rather than hurting Sikh sentiments through political attacks on the supreme institution of the Khalsa Panth and its Jathedar.
He stated that in connection with a viral video allegedly showing disrespect to images of the Sikh Gurus, Bhagwant Mann himself had requested the Jathedar Sahib to order a forensic examination of the video when he was summoned by Sri Akal Takht Sahib.
However, now that government laboratory reports have reportedly confirmed the authenticity of the video, Mann is allegedly retreating from his earlier position. The former minister further said that Bhagwant Mann is no longer calling the video fake but is instead claiming that the person seen in the video is not him.
According to Sidhu, this is an attempt to mislead Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the Sikh Panth, and the people of Punjab. He added that such contradictory statements undermine the dignity of the Chief Minister's office and that the people of Punjab will respond appropriately.
Launching a sharp attack on Mann, Sidhu alleged that he has never conducted himself as a true Sikh who follows religious discipline and maryada. He further claimed that Mann had on several occasions appeared before Guru Granth Sahib while under the influence of alcohol, thereby violating Sikh religious norms.
Such a person, Sidhu alleged, is now trying to target revered Sikh institutions in an attempt to conceal his own actions. The Congress leader said that the authority and supremacy of Sri Akal Takht Sahib stand far above politics and that no Chief Minister can be greater than this institution.
He urged Bhagwant Mann to immediately stop making statements against the Jathedar Sahib and to appear before Sri Akal Takht Sahib as a humble Sikh to seek forgiveness for his mistakes. Otherwise, he warned, the Sikh community would give a strong response to what he described as Mann's arrogance.