A day after Punjab Cabinet Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa filed a police complaint alleging a “doctored” video was being circulated on social media showing him making derogatory remarks about a Sikh guru which he never made, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) on Monday opened front against the senior Congress leader.

Upping the ante against the Congress Minister, SAD has demanded an immediate action against Randhawa “for committing a sacrilege against the founder of the Sikh religion”. AT the same time, the saffron party has urged the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to dismiss Randhawa, besides arresting him in view of his controversial video.

That is not all! The Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), known as the Sikhs’ mini parliament, has also sought action against the Punjab Minister.

Saddened by the video which has gone viral depicting Randhawa ridiculing and laughing at Guru Nanak Dev, the former SAD minister and party’s senior vice president Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal said that a case, under 295 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), should be registered against Randhawa.

“The State Government should immediately dismiss him from his Cabinet rank as a minister and apologize to the Sikh sangat for its senior party functionary to have committed a sacrilege of this huge magnitude,” he said adding that the Minister-level people are ridiculing Guru Nanak Dev when we are celebrating his 550th parkash purav.

Lashing out at the “false sanctimonious pretence” of the State Government, Grewal said that a case was registered within no time when the Christian community complained of sacrilege in Ajanala and here a senior Minister in the Congress party is being protected even though there is enough evidence to register a case.

Randhawa’s statement that it is a “doctored video” to falsely implicate him can be and should be checked as the laboratory at Hyderabad is equipped to discern if it’s his voice or someone else’s.

“The Chief Minister should immediately ask the police to register a case and a prompt, fair investigation should be done to assuage the anger at the blasphemy committed by a senior Minister serving in the State Government,” he added.

Demanding Randhawa’s dismissal at the earliest possible by the Chief Minister, the SAD also demanded a fair and through investigation by the police. “Randhawa can use his status and office to circumvent the inquiry and his statement that it is a doctored video is nothing but prevarication tactics to delay and sabotage the blasphemous statement made by him,” said Grewal.

Meanwhile, BJP’s national secretary Tarun Chugh said that Randhawa not only deserves to be dismissed from the Cabinet but should also be booked and arrested for his comparison of Guru Nanak Dev to the Chief Minister.

Terming it as “gross sacrilege”, Chugh said that Randhawa has committed an unpardonable sin.  “The video which has gone viral and is being condemned by one and all belongs to a painting exhibition at Delhi,” he said.

“While the whole world is celebrating the 550th parkash purab of Guru Nanak Dev with utmost devotion and humility, Randhawa has chosen to compare the great Guru with the Chief Minister, which is highly unfortunate. It is sad that a Minister of the government which claimed to be the champion in celebrating the 550th parkash purab was indulging in such a blasphemy,” he said.

Saying that the Minister’s utterance has hurt the sentiments of Sikhs, Chugh demanded that Randhawa needs to be dropped with immediate effect, booked and arrested for what he has spoken.

Notably, Chugh has also shot off a letter to Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore asking him to dismiss the Minister if the Chief Minister fails to do so.