Patiala, Jun 17 (PTI) Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) leader Manpreet Singh Ayali on Wednesday said every directive of the Akal Takht, the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs, is binding on him and will be accepted in letter and spirit.
The rebel Akali MLA was speaking to reporters here, accompanied by Tarsem Singh, father of Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh.
Asked whether he would appear before the Akal Takht following Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj’s summons to Sikh MLAs, Ayali said, “We bow before Akal Takht Sahib. Whatever order is issued by the Akal Takht, we will accept it with humility and respect.” The Sikh clergy on Monday summoned all Sikh MLAs in the state, regardless of their party affiliation, as well as the Punjab Cabinet before the Akal Takht on June 29 in connection with the anti-sacrilege law.
Akal Takht Jatehar Gargajj also declared Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann “Guru Dokhi” (anti-Guru) and “Khalsa Panth virodhi” (anti-Khalsa Panth) over an objectionable video that surfaced online.
The Jathedar directed the Sikh community “not to associate with” Mann as he was accused of lying about the purported video, which showed an insult to the Sikh Guru, thus hurting the community’s sentiments.
The edict came after Gargajj claimed that the viral video, which allegedly featured a man resembling Mann, was found to be “authentic” by two forensic laboratories.
Mann on Tuesday denied that the person in the video was him.
Commenting on the row, Ayali said complete facts related to the video should be placed before the “Sangat” (Sikh community) to ensure transparency.
Meanwhile, senior Akali leader Lakhvir Singh Lot on Wednesday joined the Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De).
Ayali and Tarsem Singh welcomed the new entrants by presenting them with “siropas” (robes).
“Those who believe in the Panthic ideology and seek Punjab’s welfare are continuously joining Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De). Our support base is growing stronger with each passing day,” Ayali said.
The leaders revealed that discussions are ongoing with several Panthic groups, including Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit), to bring like-minded forces together on a common platform.
“If Panthic leadership fails to unite at this crucial juncture, the community itself will unite and vote as one bloc, just as it did in the Khadoor Sahib and Faridkot Lok Sabha constituencies. Leaders will then have no choice but to respect the people’s mandate,” they said.
On a question about the structure of the party’s leadership ahead of the Punjab assembly elections, they clarified that Amritpal Singh has already been declared the party’s chief ministerial face.
The leaders also said the party has already resolved that, if elected to power, it would appoint one Dalit and one Hindu leader as deputy chief ministers. PTI COR CHS RUK RUK
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