Amritsar, June 29 -- Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday said all Sikh MLAs from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will appear before the Akal Takht on Monday with humility to present the state government's position on the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act. He also declared that he will soon submit a written explanation to the Takht regarding the controversial video, which he termed "fake". Mann was speaking to the media after a meeting with party MLAs in Amritsar to decide the future course of action in view of the Akal Takht directions. Accompanied by AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, Mann reaffirmed that Akal Takht was the supreme temporal authority of the Sikh community, and that all ministers, MLAs and the speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha summoned by the Akal Takht would appear before it on Monday. In response to a media question whether he will appear before the Akal Takht, the chief minister said he had not been summoned. Sikh MLAs from other parties have already confirmed that they will appear before the Akal Takht. Akal Takht jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj on June 15 had summoned all Sikh MLAs and ministers, regardless of party affiliation, before the Akal Takht on June 29 regarding the anti-sacrilege law. Non-Sikh MLA and ministers were asked to submit their views in writing on the matter before June 29.The anti-sacrilege Bill, which proposed amendments to the original 2008 Act, was passed unanimously by the Punjab Vidhan Sabha during a special one-day session on April 13. Punjab governor Gulab Chand Kataria accorded assent to the Bill on April 17, and it was subsequently notified by the Punjab government on April 20. The Akal Takht and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) had subsequently raised objections to the law, saying it was enacted without consulting the Sikh Panth. The Akal Takht had earlier asked the state government to remove provisions from the Act which were "against the Guru Granth Sahib, the Khalsa Panth and the sentiments of the 'Sangat' (Sikh community)". Declaring that every directive of Akal Takht was paramount, and will be obeyed in true letter and spirit, Mann said the government will also submit details of the "fake video featuring his impersonator" along with an explanation letter. "The state government will soon write to the jathedar explaining how my impersonator was used in a fake video to defame me. The details of the letter are being finalised. After our ministers and MLAs appear before the Akal Takht, we will deliberate on the next action. The sangat is supreme in the Sikh Panth and every decision will be taken in accordance with its wishes because the sangat is fully capable of judging every action," said the chief minister. However, he pointed out that opposition parties were trying to gain political mileage by giving the issue a religious colour, and asserted that politics and religion must never be mixed. "The SGPC has now ordered that posters calling for my social boycott be displayed outside gurdwaras. Why were such posters never displayed against the Shiromani Akali Dal or Sukhbir Badal after they admitted responsibility for incidents of sacrilege before the Akal Takht on December 2, 2024?" he questioned. "Did anyone display posters outside gurdwaras calling for their boycott in the manner they are doing against me today? The sangat is wise and the people are supreme. The BJP, Congress and the Akalis want to gain political mileage by defaming me on religious grounds, whereas I have been working only for the welfare of the people on issues like employment, water, electricity, healthcare, education and overall development," said Mann. Responding to a question regarding the Maharashtra government's decision to repeal the 70-year-old Nanded Sikh Gurdwara Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib Act, 1956, the chief minister said, "The Maharashtra government should not interfere in the affairs of the Sikh community. The BJP government in Maharashtra should refrain from hurting the sentiments of Sikhs through such actions, which are not in the interest of anyone."...