AAP Punjab: Akali Dal dragging Sikh institutions into politics after poll rout
Synopsis
AAP Punjab has fired back at the Shiromani Akali Dal over a disputed forensic report targeting CM Bhagwant Mann, accusing the party of using Akal Takht and the SGPC as political tools after successive electoral losses. The charge — that the Jathedar himself was appointed at Badal's behest — cuts at the heart of who controls Punjab's most powerful religious institutions.
Key Takeaways
AAP Punjab accused the Shiromani Akali Dal of politicising revered Sikh institutions on 15 June .
Baltej Pannu said a forensic report targeting CM Bhagwant Mann failed to identify the person in the disputed video.
Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj had announced plans to declare CM Mann guilty over the purported video.
AAP alleged the Jathedar was appointed 'in the middle of the night' at the behest of Sukhbir Singh Badal , without consulting Sikh sects.
SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami reportedly described himself as 'a soldier of Sukhbir Badal ', cited by AAP as proof of politicisation.
AAP pledged to place the 'complete truth' before the public in the coming days.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab on Monday, 15 June accused the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) of weaponising revered Sikh institutions for political ends, saying repeated electoral defeats had pushed the party into a desperate bid for relevance by targeting Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann through a disputed video controversy.
The Forensic Report Controversy
AAP media in-charge Baltej Pannu said a forensic report being circulated to implicate Chief Minister Mann in an objectionable video had failed to establish even the basic identity of the person visible in the footage. Pannu questioned the report directly: 'The report nowhere states who the person visible in the video actually is. Even if we accept the claim that the video was not generated by AI, the Jathedar must explain the height of the individual seen in the video. Does the height of CM Bhagwant Mann match the height of the person visible in the footage?'
He also questioned the setting depicted, asking which hotel room displays photographs of Guru Sahib as claimed. Pannu described the episode as 'another failed attempt' by Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and party leader Bikram Singh Majithia to defame the Chief Minister.
AAP Challenges Akal Takht Jathedar's Credibility
The controversy escalated after Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj announced plans to declare Chief Minister Mann guilty over the purported video, which AAP says hurt Sikh sentiments. Pannu responded by questioning the Jathedar's own appointment, alleging it was made 'in the middle of the night at the behest of Sukhbir Badal without consulting Sikh sects or organisations, and at a place where there was not even Parkash of Sri Guru Granth Sahib.'
He further cited a statement by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President Harjinder Singh Dhami, who reportedly described himself as 'a soldier of Sukhbir Badal', as evidence of the politicisation of Sikh institutions. 'Sri Akal Takht Sahib belongs to the entire Panth across the world, not to Sukhbir Badal or the Shiromani Akali Dal,' Pannu said.
Badal Family's Record Under Scrutiny
AAP trained its fire on the Badal family's own governance record, pointing to beadbi (sacrilege) incidents, and the Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan tragedies that occurred during SAD-led rule in Punjab. Pannu argued that a party with this record cannot claim moral authority over religious institutions.
In contrast, he cited the AAP government's passage of what he called Punjab's toughest law against sacrilege, alongside welfare measures including expanded canal water access for farmers, daytime power supply, and a ₹10 lakh health insurance scheme for families.
Pattern of Political Attacks, Says AAP
Pannu recalled that after AAP secured a massive mandate in 2022, opposition parties had predicted the government would not survive three months. When those predictions failed, he alleged, attacks shifted to personal territory — including an incident where Bikram Singh Majithia reportedly displayed a video of Chief Minister Mann's daughter during a press conference, a move Pannu said the people of Punjab rejected.
AAP said it would place 'the complete truth' before the public in the coming days and expose every aspect of the controversy.
Point of View
AAP is doing something politically audacious — contesting not just the accusation but the authority of the body making it. The SGPC chief's reported self-description as 'a soldier of Sukhbir Badal' is the kind of quote that does lasting damage to the credibility of religious institutions, regardless of which side benefits in the short term. What is missing from mainstream coverage is a reckoning with the longer arc: Punjab's Sikh institutions have been contested political terrain for decades, and the AAP-SAD confrontation is only the latest chapter in that unresolved struggle.
NationPress
31 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the video controversy involving CM Bhagwant Mann?
A video purportedly showing Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in an act said to hurt Sikh sentiments has been circulated, prompting Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj to announce plans to declare him guilty. AAP has dismissed the video and an associated forensic report as politically motivated, saying the report fails to establish the identity of the person in the footage.
Why is AAP questioning the Akal Takht Jathedar's authority?
AAP media in-charge Baltej Pannu alleged that Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj was appointed 'in the middle of the night at the behest of Sukhbir Badal' without consulting Sikh sects or organisations, and at a location where Sri Guru Granth Sahib was not even present. AAP argues this compromises the Jathedar's independence and makes his pronouncements politically suspect.
What has AAP said about the SGPC's role in the controversy?
AAP cited a statement by SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami, who reportedly described himself as 'a soldier of Sukhbir Badal', as evidence that the SGPC has been politicised. Pannu said Sri Akal Takht Sahib belongs to the entire Sikh Panth worldwide and cannot be treated as the personal domain of any political party.
What governance record is AAP citing against the Badal family?
AAP pointed to sacrilege (beadbi) incidents and the Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan tragedies that occurred during SAD-led rule in Punjab, arguing the Badal family cannot claim moral authority over religious institutions. In contrast, AAP highlighted its own government's passage of Punjab's toughest anti-sacrilege law and welfare measures including a ₹10 lakh health insurance scheme.
What does AAP say will happen next in this controversy?
AAP has pledged to place the 'complete truth' before the people of Punjab in the coming days and expose every aspect of the controversy. The party said it will counter what it describes as a coordinated campaign by the Shiromani Akali Dal and its leaders Sukhbir Singh Badal and Bikram Singh Majithia.
