Mann terms SAD opposition to anti-sacrilege law immaterial

Chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday said that the Shiromani Akali Dal’s rejection of the recently enacted anti-sacrilege law is immaterial as the legislation has been welcomed by the Sikh community.

Addressing a gathering at Kotshamir village in Bathinda, the Akalis’ home turf, on the third day of his four-day Shukrana Yatra to celebrate the recent enactment of the anti-sacrilege law, Mann mocked the SAD leadership for losing electoral ground.

“The SAD is now limited to its president, Sukhbir Singh Badal, and his family members with no support base left on the ground. The SAD is opposing the new legislation because its leadership was involved in such cases,” Mann said.

In his addresses during the roadshow, Mann charged the BJP leadership with trying to play divisive politics in Punjab.

He alleged that incidents of violence in West Bengal soon after the state elections are unique to the BJP’s political design. “The BJP should desist from creating communal division in Punjab. The culture of our state is unique, where Sikhs and Hindus live peacefully and Punjabis share cultural and religious practices without any prejudice,” he said.

During his roadshow, Mann claimed that the BJP leadership is demanding that a criminal case be filed against him for being anti-national. “The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) did not have a national flag at its headquarters since Independence. Such people are labelling others anti-nationals. Such organisations are questioning the integrity of others. The contribution of Punjabis in the freedom struggle was unmatched,” he added.

Mann’s remarks come in the backdrop of the Aam Aadmi Party aggressively positioning itself as the sole guardian of both religious sanctity and communal harmony with an eye on the 2027 assembly polls. By dismissing the SAD opposition to the new anti-sacrilege law, Mann is hitting at the core of the Akali identity, suggesting that the party which once claimed to be the “custodian of the Panth” is now protecting its own alleged involvement in past desecration cases.