Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has been caught on the wrong foot. Being declared anti-Sikh and anti-Gurus by the Akal Takht, the supreme temporal authority of the Sikhs, has obviously come as a bolt from the blue for the Punjab Chief Minister. Not only that, the Akal Takht has asked all the Sikhs to sever all ties with him.
The indomitable Mann, in his characteristic way, has dismissed the Akal Takht orders, saying the person in the purported video is not him. He has accused the Akal Takht Jathedar of playing in the hands of his political opponents, who he alleged, have misused the institution in the past as well.
Given the sensitivity of the issue, Mann will have to navigate a difficult course ahead. Only a few days ago, party supremo Arvind Kejriwal had re-nominated him as the chief ministerial candidate for the next assembly elections.
Mann putting up a brave face and his dismissal of the Takht orders notwithstanding, it will not be easy for him to manage the perception that has gone around. There undoubtedly is a perception across Punjab that the Akalis have from time to time used the institution of Akal Takht to their own advantage, at the same time, in Mann’s case, the opinion remains divided, if not entirely with the Akal Takht.
The issue relates to a couple of old controversial videos purportedly related to the Chief Minister. Akal Takht acting Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, while pronouncing the verdict, said the two controversial videos were found to be authentic after forensic examination by two different labs, which are recognised by the Government of India.
Earlier, the Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson Baltej Pannu was quite guarded in his reaction. He told the media that the forensic labs had only authenticated the videos, but they had not authenticated and confirmed who actually was in these videos. He was obviously suggesting that it was not Mann who was in those controversial videos, reportedly circulated by one of his friends-turned-foe, based abroad.
When one of the videos was circulated about a year ago, the AAP had maintained that these had been generated through artificial intelligence.
The Akal Takht, in its decree, has asked the people of the Sikh panth not to have any ties whatsoever with the Chief Minister. This has put the Chief Minister and the AAP government in a very difficult situation. If anyone deals with him that will mean defying the Akal Takht orders. Mann cannot function in isolation. Nor can anyone defy the Akal Takht directive.
The opposition has understandably cornered the ruling party, Mann in particular, on this issue. The Akal Takht orders have come as a boon for the Shiromani Akali Dal in particular, which has been facing the onslaught of the Sikh community since 2015 when incidents of the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib took place during its regime. The Akalis have never recovered from the same and are fighting an existential battle.
Also read: Akal Takht declares Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann ‘Guru Dokhi’
Interestingly, the AAP had recently started describing the Akali Dal as “be-adbi party” and “chitta party”, linking it with the sacrilege and the supply of drugs in the state. After the Akal Takht’s strong verdict against Mann, the AAP will find itself on a weak wicket.
The Akal Takht Jathedar is appointed by the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee, which in turn is controlled by the Shiromani Akali Dal. Sukhbir Singh Badal is the president of the SAD. The AAP government was understood to be planning some action against Sukhbir on the basis of his “apology before Akal Takht”, which it wanted to interpret like his confession.
Former Akal Takht jathedar, who is now estranged from the Akalis, recently appeared before a special investigation team, suggesting that Sukhbir had confessed to the crime.
Recently, the AAP government enacted a stringent anti-sacrilege law with strict provisions. If the government had initiated any action against Sukhbir, it would have been according to the new stringent law.
Mann has consciously and thoughtfully taken the Akal Takht head on, while at the same time trying to draw a line between the Akal Takht as a revered institution and its Jathedar as a political appointee doing the bidding of those who have appointed him.
He definitely will find many people to agree with him. But his woes are not going to end there. After all, it is the Akal Takht as an institution, which has passed verdict and issued the edict. The verdict was unanimously passed by the five Sikh high priests. The findings of the forensic lab reports were also circulated among the high priests who eventually passed a unanimous resolution describing Mann as “Guru Drohi” (against the Gurus).
Mann has often dared his opponents to play on “their pitch”. This time, the Akalis seem to have thrown a challenge back at him on a pitch where it is not easy for a non-Panthic party to play. The battle does not stop here, particularly when it concerns religion. People are highly emotive and sensitive towards religious matters, where they are not even ready to give benefit of doubt.
Manipulation of the institutions like Akal Takht by the Akalis and allegations against Mann are two different things. People may agree with Mann that Akal Takht is used by the Akalis from time to time, but that does not exonerate him of the charges he is facing.
It is quite an unprecedented situation for the AAP. The Akal Takht has not passed the edict on Mann alone. It has also asked the Sikhs to sever all ties with him. Any Sikh, according to the edict, will defy the Akal Takht if he/ she has any association with Mann. How many people will be prepared to defy Akal Takht for Mann is anybody’s guess. That is where Mann will feel cornered.
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