Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Sunday reaffirmed that Sri Akal Takht Sahib is the supreme temporal authority of the Sikh community and said that all Ministers, MLAs and the Speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha summoned by the Takht Sahib will appear before it on Monday to present the state government’s position with humility.
Declaring that every directive of Sri Akal Takht Sahib is paramount and will be obeyed in true letter and spirit, the Chief Minister said the government would also submit details of the fake video featuring his impersonator. The Chief Minister pointed out that opposition parties are trying to gain political mileage by giving the issue a religious colour, and asserted that politics and religion must never be mixed while urging the Maharashtra government not to interfere in Sikh religious affairs.
During a media interaction in Sri Amritsar Sahib alongside AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “Sri Akal Takht Sahib is sacred for every Sikh and is the highest temporal seat of our community. Any command or order issued by Sri Akal Takht Sahib is acceptable to us with complete reverence and will be obeyed.
All our Ministers, MLAs and the Speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha who have been summoned by Sri Akal Takht Sahib will appear before it on Monday. They will present their side along with the government’s position before the Takht as humble Sikhs.”
The Chief Minister said, “For me, Sri Akal Takht Sahib is above everything. Every order received from the sacred Takht will be obeyed in true letter and spirit. Its command is, was and will always remain supreme for me and my family. My reverence for Sri Akal Takht Sahib is evident from the fact that when I was earlier summoned by the Takht, I even skipped a function of the President of India to appear before it.”
He said, “However, when political appointees occupying religious positions start taking one-sided decisions to appease their political masters, questions naturally arise. The SGPC (Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee) has now ordered that posters calling for my social boycott be displayed outside gurdwaras.
Why were such posters never displayed against the Shiromani Akali Dal or Sukhbir Badal after they admitted responsibility for incidents of sacrilege?” The Chief Minister said, “On December 2, Sukhbir Badal and his associates appeared before Sri Akal Takht Sahib, acknowledged their mistakes, admitted wrongdoing, accepted responsibility for the firing incidents and admitted that orders had been issued against the sangat.
Did anyone display posters outside gurdwaras calling for their boycott in the manner they are doing against me today? The sangat is wise and the people are supreme. These individuals are acting out of arrogance because they have no real issue left to raise against me.”
CM Bhagwant Singh Mann stated, “Whenever I visit villages, community gatherings and public meetings, massive crowds gather. The opposition cannot tolerate this because they themselves are unable to attract such public support. Frustrated by this overwhelming response, the traditional political parties have stooped to leveling baseless allegations against me.
The people of Punjab will never tolerate such politics He pointed out, “The BJP, Congress and the Akalis want to gain political mileage by defaming me on religious grounds, whereas I have been working only for the welfare of the people on issues like employment, water, electricity, healthcare, education and overall development.”
Replying to a query, the Chief Minister said, “The state government will soon write to the Jathedar explaining how my impersonator was used in a fake video to defame me. The details of the letter are being finalised. After our Ministers and MLAs appear before Sri Akal Takht Sahib, we will deliberate on the future course of action.
The sangat is supreme in the Sikh Panth and every decision will be taken in accordance with its wishes because the sangat is fully capable of judging every action.” Replying to another query 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 said, “The Maharashtra government should not interfere in the affairs of the Sikh community.
The BJP government in Maharashtra should refrain from hurting the sentiments of Sikhs through such actions, which are not in the interest of anyone. Politics and religion are separate and they should never be mixed under any circumstances.”