Chandigarh, Jan 8 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday requested the Akal Takht jathedar to allow live telecast of his appearance before the Akal Takht Secretariat after being summoned on January 15.
In a post on X, Mann claimed he has been receiving messages from all over the world that when he presents his account on January 15 on behalf of the ‘Sangat’ (Sikh community), it should be telecast live on all television channels.
Underscoring the sentiments of the ‘Sangat’, Mann said he is requesting the Akal Takht jathedar that his clarification be broadcast live so that the ‘Sangat’ can stay informed about every detail.
“See you on January 15 — with evidence included,” Mann said in the post.
The acting jathedar of the Akal Takht, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj, on Monday summoned Mann to appear in person before the Takht Secretariat on January 15 to clarify his alleged anti-Sikh remarks.
Meanwhile, Mann said he would certainly appear before the Akal Takht with all facts, according to an official statement.
“I will appear there not as a Chief Minister, but as a humble and devout Sikh. Sri Akal Takht Sahib is sacred for every Sikh and is the highest temporal seat of our community.
“Even though the President of the country will be visiting Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar (on the same day), I will still ensure my presence before Sri Akal Takht Sahib,” he said.
Mann asserted that for him, Akal Takht is above everything.
“Any order received from there will be obeyed in true letter and spirit. The command of Sri Akal Takht Sahib was, is and will always remain supreme for me and my family. It is a highly revered place from where Sikhs derive divine peace and strength,” the chief minister said.
Gargajj summoned Mann for allegedly making comments on ‘Guru ki Golak’ (a gurdwara donation box) and indulging in “objectionable activities” with pictures of Sikh Gurus and slain militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
The jathedar of the highest temporal seat for Sikhs had said that while deliberately expressing an anti-Sikh mentality, Mann repeatedly made objectionable comments against the principle of ‘Dasvandh’ bestowed by the Sikh Gurus, thereby deeply hurting Sikh sentiments.
Dasvandh is a Sikh practice of donating 10 per cent of one’s earnings as a religious duty.
Gargajj had clarified that since the chief minister is a ‘patit’ (a term used for a Sikh who cuts his hair) and, according to Sikh tradition, cannot be presented before the Akal Takht Sahib, he has been summoned to appear in person before the Akal Takht Secretariat on January 15 to present his explanation.
The summoning of Mann followed an ongoing tussle between the Punjab government and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) over the registration of an FIR in the case of 328 missing ‘saroops’ (sacred copies) of the Guru Granth Sahib.
SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami had lashed out at the AAP government over the FIR, accusing it of interfering in the administrative rights of the apex gurdwara body with the sole purpose of gaining political mileage .
On December 29 last year, Mann said the FIR was filed after several Sikh bodies demanded a thorough probe into the missing ‘saroops’ and their recovery.
He had also accused the SGPC of failing to find the 328 missing saroops’ and using the Akal Takht as a shield. PTI SUN VSD KVK KVK
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