AAP govt's duty to resolve objections raised by Akal Takht on anti-sacrilege law: Badal

Shiromani Akali Dal SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday said it was the duty of the AAP government to resolve the objections raised by the Akal Takht and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee SGPC on the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Amendment Act, 2026.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday said it was the duty of the AAP government to resolve the objections raised by the Akal Takht and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026. Talking to reporters after addressing a public function held in memory of Sikh leader Jassa Singh Ramgarhia here, he said, ''The SAD agrees with the views of the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib who asked the AAP government to amend objectionable provisions in the anti-sacrilege Act which go against the 'Khalsa Panth' and the sentiments of the Sikh community.'' He said the SGPC, which was an elected body of the Sikh community, had also conveyed its views to the AAP government and the same should be respected. The Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Bill, 2026 was unanimously passed by Punjab Assembly on April 13. It includes a provision for stricter punishment, including life imprisonment for any act of sacrilege against the Guru Granth Sahib. The Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj on Friday asked Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan that within 15 days, the state government must remove provisions from the anti-sacrilege Act which are ''against the Guru Granth Sahib, the Khalsa Panth and the sentiments of the 'Sangat' (Sikh community). The supreme temporal seat of Sikhs is particularly objecting to provisions related to requiring the SGPC to upload records of Guru Granth Sahib 'saroops' (copies) to a government monitored portal. However, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday said there was no question of withdrawing or rolling back the anti-sacrilege law and claimed that it has received overwhelming support from the 'Sangat' across the world. Targeting the AAP government over the corruption issue, Badal alleged, ''The AAP rule in the State is akin to the rule of Ahmed Shah Abdali who plundered Punjab at will before meeting his match in Jassa Singh Ramgarhia''. He said the manner in which Punjab's resources were being ''looted'' was coming out in the open with the arrest of Cabinet minister Sanjeev Arora. Earlier, while paying glowing tributes to Jassa Singh Ramgarhia on the occasion of his 303rd birth anniversary, the SAD president appealed to Punjabis to strengthen the SAD which was the only party in the state which stood for the aspirations of Punjabis. He said when the SAD was weakened in the last assembly polls the Delhi parties used the opportunity to break the SGPC and create a separate gurdwara committee for Haryana. ''Other gurdwara committees including those of Sri Hazur Sahib and Takht Patna Sahib have also been taken over by the State governments,'' he said. He appealed to the community to be aware of traitors who had disguised themselves in the garb of religious Sikhs and were working overtime to ''weaken'' the SAD and Sikh institutions. Badal also talked about how the SAD was responsible for all development, including making Punjab power surplus. He said lack of addition of any power capacity by both the Congress and AAP had resulted in the present power cuts and breakdowns.