Bhagwant Mann to huddle with Sikh AAP MLAs after Akal Takht summons

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has convened a meeting of its Sikh MLAs in Punjab on Sunday, June 28, in Amritsar in view of the summons issued to them and Sikh legislators of other parties by the Akal Takht, the supreme temporal body of Sikhism, sources said.

The meeting, which will begin at 10.30 am, is set to be chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the sources added.

According to them, the aim of the huddle will be to deliberate on the party's collective response before the Akal Takht, which has summoned all Sikh MLAs – regardless of party affiliation – and Sikh Cabinet Ministers of Punjab in connection with the passage of the anti-sacrilege law in the state Assembly earlier this year.

WHY THE SUMMONS WERE ISSUED

The lawmakers and ministers have been asked to appear before the temporal body on Monday, June 29. On Thursday, Bagicha Singh, in-charge of the Secretariat of the Akal Takht, had said that official letters had already been sent on June 17 and 18 to the Sikh MLAs and cabinet ministers at their email addresses and on their WhatsApp mobile numbers.

A letter was also sent to Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan on June 23. Singh said that the summons were issued for deliberations regarding the matter related to the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which was unanimously passed by the Punjab Assembly on April 13.

It includes a provision for stricter punishment, including life imprisonment for any act of sacrilege against the Guru Granth Sahib. The Akal Takht and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) have raised objections to the anti-sacrilege law, saying it was enacted without consulting the Sikh Panth.

BHAGWANT MANN'S OWN TROUBLES

The summons comes at a time when Mann is himself pitted against the Akal Takht over a viral video that has triggered a political storm in Punjab.

The controversial clip shows a man sprinkling liquor on photographs of Sikh Gurus. A political controversy erupted over the objectionable video after claims emerged that the man seen in it was none other than Mann.

The Akal Takht issued an edict against him on June 15, declaring him 'Guru Dokhi' (anti-Guru) and 'Khalsa Panth Virodhi' (anti-Khalsa Panth). The edict came after Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj claimed that the video was found to be "authentic" by two forensic laboratories.

The Punjab CM has repeatedly denied the allegations against him, saying he is not the man seen in the controversial video.

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(With inputs from PTI)