CM Mann appears barefoot before Akal Takht, waits for Jathedar; to clarify statements and video issue

Amritsar (The Uttam Hindu): Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann appeared before Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, at around 12 noon on Wednesday. Before presenting himself, the Chief Minister reached the Golden Temple barefoot, paid obeisance, and then proceeded to the Akal Takht Secretariat carrying a black bag. However, till the time of filing this report, Akal Takht Jathedar Kuldeep Singh Gargaj had not yet arrived.

Appearance timing changed four times

The timing of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s appearance was changed multiple times. Initially, he was asked to appear at 10 am, which was later revised to 4:30 pm. Subsequently, the Chief Minister conveyed that he would come at 11 am, but finally, 12 noon was fixed as the official time.

Summoned over these issues

Akal Takht Jathedar Kuldeep Singh Gargaj had summoned the Chief Minister on January 5 over an allegedly objectionable video, remarks related to the golak, and other Sikh-related issues. Since Bhagwant Mann is not an Amritdhari Sikh, he is not appearing on the Akal Takht platform but is presenting his clarification on all matters at the Akal Takht Secretariat.

Fourth Punjab Chief Minister to be summoned

Bhagwant Mann is the fourth Punjab Chief Minister to be summoned by the Akal Takht. Earlier, the late Bhim Sen Sachar, Surjit Singh Barnala, and Parkash Singh Badal had also been called to appear before the Akal Takht.