Amid the massive state-wide outreach campaign launched by the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) to take the Akal Takht's edict declaring CM Bhagwant Mann as Guru Dokhi (traitor of the gurus) and Panth Virodhi (anti-Sikh) to rural Punjab, Bhagwant Mann is seen trying to manage the Akal Takht fallout in a tacit and calculated manner.
"For me, Shri Akal Takht is supreme, most respectful and the greatest. I skipped the President's visit and appeared before the Sikh Temporal authority as a humble Sikh," Bhagwant Mann said after the Akal Takht issued its edict.
CM Mann's attitude towards the temporal authority has softened after the edict. While on one hand the Punjab government has agreed to make suitable changes in Jagat Jyot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkaar (Amendment) Act, 2026 within a month, on the other he has launched a massive state-wide outreach called 'Lok Milni' to promote the law. On the other hand, this outreach is being viewed as an attempt to counter the SGPC move to take Akal Takhat's edict to every Sikh home.
The promotion of the anti-sacrilege Act is being used as a shield to spread the word that he (Bhagwant Mann) is neither Guru Dokhi nor anti-Sikh, but is in fact protecting the faith and its scriptures by enacting a strict law.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann spearheaded a massive, four-day statewide 'Shukrana Yatra' from May 6 to May 9, 2026, to commemorate the anti-sacrilege Act's passing.
Addressing a Lok Milni in Gajewas, Patiala, recently, Bhagwant Mann said the Act would ensure strict punishment for anyone who commits sacrilege. He said the Act will deter anti-social elements, preventing anyone from indulging in this heinous crime.
Be it press conferences, Lok Milni programmes or visits to religious places, Bhagwant Mann and his cabinet colleagues were vocal about the stringent provisions laid in the Act to stop incidents of sacrilege.
Victim Card?
The opposition seemed united when the Akal Takht edict was discussed. The Shiromani Akali Dal, the Congress, and the BJP social media war rooms were busy creating memes and sarcastic videos to target Bhagwant Mann, who was portrayed as anti-Sikh in the name of Akal Takht edict. Accusing Mann of disrespecting Sikh Gurus, the opposition parties demanded his resignation.
"Bhagwant Mann is not above Shri Akal Takht, Sikhism and the principle of Miri Piri. He should immediately step down as Chief Minister," Senior Congress leader and MLA, Sukhpal Khaira said. Many BJP leaders, including Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Tarun Chugh, and Raghav Chadha also demanded Mann's resignation on moral grounds.
Bhagwant Mann is not silent. He has launched a scathing counter-offensive against his opposition leaders. He has accused the opposition of exploiting the religious institutions to create political hegemony.
"Opposition leaders are indulging in mud-slinging to defame me by sharing fake videos. For me, Shri Akal Takht is supreme. Politically compromised leaders are teaching me morality. They cannot compete with me," Bhagwant Mann said while accusing the opponents of launching a smear campaign against him.
Mann's Strategy
The Aam Aadmi Party is aware of the religious significance of the highly sensitive Akal Takht edict. Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann are cautiously treading their path. They have their defensive strategy, but any wrong turn could damage the party's 2027 election prospects. The party and its leaders are, in fact, trying to diffuse the situation. Appearing before the Shri Akal Takht first, then accepting the demands to amend the anti-sacrilege Act, and playing a political smear campaign victim are part of Bhagwant Mann's strategy to diffuse the situation. The AAP is trying to portray the crisis not as a religious transgression, but as a political trap engineered by the Shiromani Akali Dal.
But this is not to say that Bhagwant Mann is not feeling the heat. The Akal Takht acting Jathedar, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj, is leaving no stone unturned to slam the government. First, he ordered a forensic examination of the controversial video linked to Bhagwant Mann, then Mann was declared anti-Sikh and anti-religion. AAP MLAs were summoned and humiliated in a live broadcast for not reading the anti-sacrilege Act in question. The Jathedar asked the AAP government to amend the Act within one month. He didn't stop there; he even threatened to destroy AAP-led social media war rooms if they were not closed within 10 days.
Bhagwant Mann recently joined a four-day Vipassana Meditation camp to calm his nerves. In one of the viral videos, he was also heard asking the gathering to vent their frustration on a microphone. He is witty and hardly spares his opponents, but the Akal Takht edict left him worried.
What remains to be seen is whether amending the Act and closing the social media war rooms will neutralise the situation.
What about the standing Akal Takht edict against Bhagwant Mann? How is it going to pan out and impact the AAP in the 2027 assembly elections, as the SGPC's campaign to take the edict through Punjab is likely to paint Bhagwant Mann in a negative light. Will the opposition parties exploit the edict for political gains, or will Bhagwant Mann's outreach programmes successfully counter the negativity? Only the election results will tell.
