After Akal Takht declares Bhagwant Mann ‘anti-Guru’, is AAP in trouble in Punjab?

Days after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal formally projected Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann as the party’s chief ministerial face for next year’s Assembly elections in Punjab, the ruling party finds itself battling a controversy that threatens to shift the political narrative onto sensitive religious terrain.

On Monday, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj declared Mann a “Guru dokhi (anti-Guru)” and “Panth virodhi (anti-community)”, calling upon the Sikh community to socially and religiously distance itself from the CM.

The pronouncement came months after Mann appeared before the Akal Takht Secretariat to explain his position regarding a controversial video that Sikh religious authorities believed had hurt Sikh sentiments. Gargajj said forensic laboratories had concluded that the video was not AI-generated.

The timing could hardly have been worse for the AAP.

Kejriwal’s recent visit to Punjab was intended to send a clear political message, both within the party and outside it. By declaring Mann as the CM face well in advance, the AAP sought to energise its cadre and begin framing the next elections around governance, welfare delivery and Mann’s carefully cultivated public image.

The declaration was followed by a visible campaign push. Within days, AAP posters carrying the slogan “vadhiya langhe panj saal, sara Punjab Mann naal (Five years went well, all of Punjab stands with Mann)” appeared across the state, signalling the party’s confidence in Mann’s leadership.

Instead, the AAP now finds itself defending its CM against allegations that have pushed governance and electoral preparedness out of the spotlight and brought a religious controversy to the fore.

The development is significant because it comes at a time when the Mann government has repeatedly sought to project itself as a defender of Sikh interests. Earlier this year, the Punjab Assembly passed a stricter anti-sacrilege law providing enhanced punishment for desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib. While the legislation was welcomed in some quarters, several Sikh scholars and legal experts criticised certain provisions as draconian.

Against this backdrop, the Akal Takht’s pronouncement represents one of the strongest censures issued by Sikh clergy against a sitting Punjab CM in recent years.

Opposition cashes in

The Congress directly linked the Akal Takht’s decision to Mann’s continuation in office. In a statement posted on its official X handle, the party said Mann had lost the moral right to remain CM. “Out of respect for the dignity of Sri Akal Takht Sahib and Sikh sentiments, Bhagwant Mann should immediately tender his resignation,” the party said.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal argued that the Akal Takht’s directive had rendered Mann’s continuation in office untenable. “After the decision by the Jathedar Sahib from the holy wall of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, Mann has no moral right to continue as the Chief Minister of Punjab,” Badal said.

He also called upon Sikh ministers and leaders associated with the government and the AAP to resign from their positions. Badal announced an emergency meeting of the SAD core committee on June 17 to discuss the issue and chart the party’s future course.

Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon also sought to highlight the implications of the Akal Takht’s directive. Describing the Akal Takht as the supreme institution of the Sikh community, Dhillon argued that if Sikh ministers and officials were expected to distance themselves from Mann, it could affect the functioning of the government.

“The direct implication is that Cabinet ministers and Sikh officials will neither be able to hold meetings with him nor comply with his orders. In such a situation, the administrative functioning of Punjab could be affected,” he said, while demanding Mann’s resignation.

The Akal Takht’s importance

In Punjab, pronouncements from the Akal Takht carry immense religious and moral weight. For many Sikhs, directives issued by the institution are regarded as authoritative guidance from the highest temporal seat of Sikhism. Political parties, irrespective of ideology, have historically exercised caution while responding to such pronouncements.

At the same time, the institution has not remained free of controversy. Over the years, rival parties have frequently accused successive jathedars of acting under political influence, particularly during periods when the SAD wielded significant influence over Sikh religious institutions. As a result, while few political leaders openly challenge the authority of the Akal Takht, debates over the context and motivations behind specific pronouncements often spill into the political arena.

AAP backs Mann

AAP spokesperson Baltej Pannu reiterated that the individual seen in the disputed video was not the CM. “The issue is not whether the video was AI-generated or not. The issue is that Mann is not present in that video,” Pannu said, accusing political opponents of deliberately creating confusion by exploiting religious institutions.

“The same CM whom they are targeting today brought a tougher law against sacrilege. This government has consistently acted on issues concerning Sikh sentiments. How can someone who has taken such initiatives suddenly be portrayed as anti-Panth?” he said, adding that the people of Punjab will judge Mann by his work and not politically motivated campaigns.

On Tuesday, Mann in a video message, defended him while slamming the decisions of the “politically motivated appointments” in the Akal Takht. “I am astonished at how individuals holding such exalted religious offices are engaging in false propaganda at the behest of their political masters, spreading malicious disinformation solely to defame me… While I consider Akal Takht supreme, the ‘sangat’ is well aware of the nature of the decisions being handed down by those who hold these politically motivated appointments there. I categorically and completely reject the authenticity of that video. The attempts to defame me, or rather, these petty tactics, orchestrated by the political masters of the administrators sitting at Akal Takht Sahib, are absolutely wrong…” the CM said.

What’s at stake

Since coming to power in 2022, the party has invested significant political capital in cultivating Sikh support. Unlike traditional national parties, AAP’s Punjab unit has sought to combine governance politics with symbolic outreach to Sikh institutions and religious sentiment.

Mann, too, has carefully cultivated an image that blends administrative leadership with Punjabi identity and cultural rootedness. The latest pronouncement strikes at that image.

For the SAD, which has struggled to reclaim the Panthic space it once dominated, the controversy presents an opportunity to regain political ground. For the Congress and BJP, it offers another line of attack against the ruling party and its chief minister as Punjab’s political parties begin positioning themselves for the next Assembly election.