India, June 16 -- Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has strongly rejected the Akal Takht's recent edict declaring him "Guru Dokhi" and "Khalsa Panth virodhi," asserting that the person seen in the controversial video is not him and calling the allegations part of a "false propaganda campaign."

In a video message released on Tuesday, Mann expressed surprise over the top Sikh religious authorities issuing an edict against him based on what he described as a misleading and politically motivated narrative. He said the individual seen in the circulating video does not resemble him in appearance or physique and firmly denied any association with the footage.

Mann alleged that the controversy is being used to defame him at the behest of poli...