A late-night “objectionable” tweet by actor Anupam Kher on Wednesday in support of a BJP leader has led to massive protests and criticism by Punjab Congress leaders on Thursday, forcing the Bollywood veteran to apologize for the same.

Punjab Congress leaders, including Cabinet Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu, strongly lashed out at Kher for using the “sacred words of Guru Gobind Singh” to describe Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Sambit Patra.

In fact, the party leaders demanded expulsion of Anupam Kher and his MP wife Kirron Kher from the BJP, besides holding protests. Senior party leader and MLA Raj Kumar Verka even asserted that the party may also register an FIR in the matter.

Notably, Kher on Wednesday tweeted, “Sava lakh se ek bhida du” and tagged Sambit Patra in response to BJP spokesperson being trolled on social media.

Patra had posted a picture of a three-year-old boy sitting on his grandfather, who was shot dead during an encounter in Sopore on Wednesday with the caption: “Pulitzer lovers?” However, the actor on Thursday tendered an apology on Twitter. Pointing that he had misquoted in his previous tweet, Anupam Kher said that he is apologetic for the same. “Right emotion and words…Sava Lakh se ek ladau, tabhi Gobind Singh Naam Kahaun,” he tweeted.

“Anupam Kher and his wife (Chandigarh BJP MP Kirron Kher) should be kicked out of the BJP for using Guru Gobind Singh’s words to describe Sambit Patra,” demanded Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu in his tweet.

“How dare @AnupamPKher use sacred words of Guru Gobind Singh ji to describe the spokesperson of BJP. It spoils the martial image of Sikhs.,” he added and dubbing Kher’s tweet as an attempt by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to dilute the “strong tenets of Sikhism”.

He also called upon the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “tender an immediate apology and kick out Anupam Kher and his wife from the BJP”.

Slamming Anupam Kher, Punjab Jails Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said that despite the heinous act that has hurt the sentiments of Sikhs globally, the Akalis have surprisingly preferred to stay mum.

Randhawa questioned as to till when would they keep tolerate the disrespect caused by the BJP towards the Sikhs as well as the Punjabis.“During the campaigning of 2014 Lok Sabha elections in Amritsar, the then Cabinet Minister Bikram Singh Majithia similarly caused insult towards Gurbani merely to praise BJP leader Arun Jaitley.

If the leader of a so-called Panthic party can commit such a heinous crime, then what can be expected from their coalition partners?” said Randhawa.

The Minister said that Anupam Kher, who is a staunch supporter of BJP’s ideology, has committed a heinous act of hurting the feelings of the Sikhs under a well thought out conspiracy which the Sikhs would never tolerate.

 “The sad part is that Kher's wife Kirron Kher represents capital of Punjab, Chandigarh, in the Parliament. Yet her husband dared to hurt the sentiments of the Sikhs,” he said.

Lashing out at the Akalis, Randhawa said that if the Badal family has decided to sway with the BJP by flouting the values of the Akali Dal, then the Badal family should resign from all posts of the Akali Dal and make BJP their mother party.

Punjab Youth Congress president Brinder Singh Dhillon also wrote to the Akal Takht jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh, taking strong objection to the actor’s tweet.