Punjab CM requests Akal Takht to allow live telecast of his appearance
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 that the Akhal 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.
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 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.
On Monday, Mann said he would abide by the Akal Takht's directive. "Will not appear as the chief minister but as a humble Sikh, walking barefoot," Maan had said in a post on X in Punjabi.
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.
