SGPC to move court against AAP

Chanidgarh: Joining the chorus on alleged blasphemy by AAP for keeping its poll symbol broom next to Golden Temple on the cover of its manifesto, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee (SGPC) on Thursday announced that it will move court against Arvind Kejriwal for hurting Sikh sentiments.
The announcement by the SGPC came within 24 hours after an FIR was registered in Amritsar over the issue on a complaint by Ferozepur-based Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad, president of All India Sikh Student Federation (AISSF).
The FIR also mentions AAP member Ashish Khetans name for allegedly comparing the manifesto to Sikh holy book Guru Granth Sahib.
The SGPC's announcement coincided with a conference by AAP, during which the party showed a manifesto cover used by SAD during the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Parbhandak Comittee (DGMC) polls in 2013, and maintained that AAP had already sought a public apology for its own manifesto.
However, SGPC was relentless. "It was a blunder by the AAP. It cannot be undone by any apology. AAP has to bear the consequences for using the Golden Temple's image. We are filing a court case in Amritsar against Arvind Kejriwal, Ashish Khetan and Kanwar Sandhu," said Avtar Singh Makkar, president SGPC.
SGPC is a mini parliament of Sikhs and at the moment it is represented by the Shiromani Akali Dal even though the Supreme Court had stayed its elections over the controversy on Sehajdhari Sikhs' role in the polls . AAP's Punjab convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur sought to calm down the frayed tempers, saying Khetan did not intend to hurt sentiments of any community.
"I was there at the time when he spoke. We also heard him saying it. He said it (manifesto) was sacred for him as the holy books. He never compared it with the religious books. He intended to hold the manifesto in high esteem. Besides, he and the party has apologized to anyone who has been grieved by his statement," said Chotepur.
"Parkash Singh Badal recently compared PM Narendra Modi to Baba Banda Singh Bahadur in a function in New Delhi. Though Badal's act deeply hurt the feelings of a large section of the Sikhs but the Punjab CM never felt the need to offer an apology," AAP spokesperson Sukhpal Singh Khaira added.
He said that during Delhi Sikh Gurdwara management committee (DSGMC) elections held in 2013, SAD used a picture of Gurdwara Bangla Sahib on its manifesto with poll symbol bucket, on it.