Chandigarh: Jagmohan Singh Raju, a prominent Sikh face of the Punjab BJP, has sought an urgent appointment with chief minister Bhagwant Mann, defying an Akal Takht directive that bars Sikhs from associating with him.
Raju's Stand on the Meeting
Raju, who recently resigned as Punjab BJP vice-president after Kewal Singh Dhillon's appointment as state chief, defended his move in a letter to the CM and a social media post. He stated, "I am fully aware that Sri Akal Takht Sahib has declared the CM 'Guru Dokhi' and 'Panth Virodhi', directing Sikhs to sever ties with him. As a Sikh, I hold Sri Akal Takht Sahib in the highest reverence. Yet, when the educational future of nearly one lakh poor Dalit children is at stake, my conscience does not permit me to remain passive."
Purpose of the Meeting
Raju has requested the meeting to discuss the admission of nearly one lakh Scheduled Caste (SC) children under the Right to Education Act. He acknowledged the potential consequences, saying, "I am fully conscious that meeting the CM may invite the displeasure and censure of Sri Akal Takht Sahib. Nevertheless, for the sake of Punjab's poor children and their constitutional right to education, I am prepared to bear that consequence."
Akal Takht's Directive
On June 15, Akal Takht declared Mann 'Guru Dokhi' (anti-Guru) and 'Panth Virodhi' (anti-Khalsa Panth) and directed the community to shun ties with him over an alleged sacrilege video featuring a man purportedly resembling the CM, citing reports from government-approved forensic laboratories. The Aam Aadmi Party and CM Mann rejected the charges, calling it a political conspiracy and releasing two new forensic reports declaring that the man seen in the video is not CM Mann.
