Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla on Friday sought the resignation of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Aujla claimed that the Akal Takht Sahib had found Mann guilty in connection with a purported video allegedly showing disrespect to photographs of Sikh Gurus.
Aujla said Mann had appeared before the Akal Takht Sahib in January. At the time, the Chief Minister had claimed that the controversial video was generated using artificial intelligence (AI).
He alleged that the Akal Takht got the video examined before delivering its decision. He claimed that Mann was declared guilty on June 15. "No government is above the Takht, and I demand his resignation," Aujla said.
Earlier, on June 16, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal also alleged that the video was genuine and not AI-generated, contrary to Mann's claim.
In a video message, Badal said "A few months ago, a video surfaced on social media where the Chief Minister of Punjab, Bhagwant Mann, was seen behaving in a manner that committed sacrilege (be-adbi) against the Guru. I do not have words to describe the act he committed. When that video came out, there was a lot of anger within the entire Sikh community (Panth).”
Badal further claimed that the Akal Takht had confirmed the authenticity of the video. He said “It is a matter of great shame that the Chief Minister of Punjab has acted in such a way and committed such a grave sacrilege against our Guru. I believe that a person who acts like this has no right to remain Chief Minister for even five minutes. I am at a loss for words to describe his conduct.”
He also alleged that Mann had previously visited gurdwaras while under the influence of alcohol. Referring to the alleged video, Badal said the Sikh community should take a firm stand on the issue.
"On several occasions, this Chief Minister has visited Gurdwaras while under the influence of alcohol. People were outraged even then. But the act of (allegedly) splashing liquor on the images of the Guru is something no Sikh can ever tolerate. Therefore, I want to say that the Sikh community should take a very firm decision on this," he said.
On January 15, Mann appeared before the Secretariat of the Akal Takht Sahib in Amritsar after being summoned. During the proceedings, he maintained that the viral video was fabricated and requested that it be examined by a forensic laboratory.
Mann has consistently denied the allegations. In a video message posted earlier on X, he said the viral video was "categorically and completely" fake and claimed it was part of a conspiracy to tarnish his image.
The Chief Minister also questioned the recent decree of the Akal Takht regarding the video. He alleged that some people holding "high religious positions" were spreading misinformation for political reasons.
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