AAP Akal Takht Appearance: All MLAs to Appear before Akal Takht; Mann Asks Why Sukhbir Badal Was Spared Boycott
AAP Akal Takht Appearance: Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann confirmed all AAP ministers, MLAs and the Speaker will appear before Akal Takht on Monday. Kejriwal was present as Mann attacked SGPC and invoked the Sukhbir Badal precedent.
North Desk Correspondent
Amritsar, June 28
A day before his party’s ministers, MLAs and the Speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha are scheduled to appear before Sri Akal Takht Sahib, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Sunday made a series of pointed statements in Amritsar — attacking the SGPC, invoking the Sukhbir Badal precedent, and announcing that evidence of the fake video would be formally submitted to the Jathedar. Significantly, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal was present alongside him.
Here are the six key points from Mann’s Amritsar statement:
All Ministers, MLAs and Speaker to Appear Before Akal Takht on Monday
AAP Akal Takht Appearance: Mann confirmed that every AAP minister, MLA and the Speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha summoned by Sri Akal Takht Sahib will appear before it on Monday. “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,” he said. Mann added that every directive of Sri Akal Takht Sahib is paramount and would be obeyed in true letter and spirit, and that its authority is supreme for him and his family.
Kejriwal in Amritsar — The National Party Steps In
AAP Akal Takht Appearance: Mann was not alone. AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal was present alongside him during the media interaction in Amritsar — a detail that goes beyond optics. Kejriwal has not been summoned by the Akal Takht and has no formal role in Monday’s proceedings. His presence signals that AAP’s central leadership is treating the Guru Dokhi row as a national party crisis, not merely a Punjab government matter. It is the clearest indication yet that the party’s response to the Akal Takht summons is being managed at the top.
Mann Attacks SGPC: ‘Political Appointees Appeasing Their Masters’
In his sharpest attack yet on the religious establishment, Mann questioned the impartiality of those occupying religious positions. “When political appointees occupying religious positions start taking one-sided decisions to appease their political masters, questions naturally arise,” he said. He specifically called out the SGPC for ordering boycott posters against him to be displayed outside gurdwaras, questioning why the same was never done against others who had admitted wrongdoing before the Akal Takht.
The Sukhbir Badal Comparison — Mann’s Sharpest Political Argument
AAP Akal Takht Appearance: Mann returned to what is emerging as AAP’s most potent political counterattack in this controversy — the December 2 precedent. “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?” he asked. The argument is simple and politically effective: if the Akal Takht did not order a social boycott of Sukhbir Badal after he admitted guilt, why is one being ordered against Mann who denies any wrongdoing?
The Letter to the Jathedar — What AAP Plans to Submit
AAP Akal Takht Appearance: Mann announced that the state government would soon write to the Jathedar explaining how an impersonator wearing a mask was used to shoot the fake video. He said the fake video itself, along with supporting evidence, would be submitted to Sri Akal Takht Sahib alongside the letter. “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,” he said. The sequencing is notable — the letter appears to be a follow-up to Monday’s appearance, not a precursor to it.
On Nanded Gurdwara Act: Mann Warns Maharashtra BJP
In a separate but significant statement, Mann reacted to the Maharashtra government’s decision to repeal the 70-year-old Nanded Sikh Gurdwara Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib Act, 1956. “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,” he said. The statement broadens the political battleground — Mann is now positioning AAP as the defender of Sikh religious interests against BJP interference, both in Punjab and Maharashtra.
READ ALSO: Who Is Jagman Samra? The Canada-Based NRI at the Centre of the Bhagwant Mann Video Row
READ ALSO: Gurugram FIR Decoded: What It Says About the Bhagwant Mann Video Row
Follow North Desk on WhatsApp for the latest from Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb7ccdxJENy2H87DBG3E
