Amritsar, June 29
Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Partap Singh Bajwa, along with Congress MLAs, today appeared before Sri Akal Takht Sahib in response to the summons issued by its Secretariat regarding the Anti-Sacrilege Law. On the occasion, Bajwa submitted a detailed written statement before Jathedar Sahib, placing on record the Congress Legislature Party’s consistent stand, legislative interventions and unwavering commitment towards enacting the strongest possible law to safeguard the sanctity of Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
Bajwa stated that the Congress Legislature Party had approached Sri Akal Takht Sahib with complete humility, transparency and a clear conscience. He reiterated that Sri Akal Takht Sahib is the supreme temporal authority of the Sikh Panth and that every Sikh, particularly an elected representative, is duty-bound to place the truth before this sacred institution with utmost respect.
Launching a sharp attack on the AAP leadership, Bajwa said the manner in which Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal handled the legislation reflected their disregard for Sikh principles, traditions and institutions. He said that instead of building a broad Panthic consensus on such a sensitive issue, the government chose to rush the legislation through the Assembly without meaningful consultation with the Sikh community.
Bajwa said that during the discussion on the Bill in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, he had personally urged the Speaker to extend the Special Session by a few more days so that the views of the Jathedars of all Takht Sahibs, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), Sikh scholars, the Sant Samaj and other Panthic stakeholders could be obtained and incorporated before passing such a historic legislation. “Unfortunately, the government chose haste over consensus,” he said.
Bajwa further pointed out that he had also demanded on the floor of the House that the Select Committee’s report, which had remained pending for nearly nine months, be circulated among all MLAs before any discussion or passage of the Bill. However, the government ignored this legitimate demand and proceeded with the legislation.
Referring to the long-standing constitutional convention governing matters relating to the Sikh faith, Bajwa said that the 1959 pact between India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Master Tara Singh laid down the principle that the Government should not interfere in matters concerning the Sikh religion without consultation with the SGPC. He said the Mann Government had completely disregarded this convention by attempting to legislate on an issue directly concerning Sikh religious beliefs without first building consensus with the representative religious institutions of the Sikh community.
Bajwa informed Sri Akal Takht Sahib that the Congress had consistently maintained that Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is the eternal and living Guru of the Sikhs and that any legislation concerning sacrilege must begin by recognising this fundamental theological truth. He noted that this position, along with detailed written recommendations, had been formally submitted to the Select Committee well before the Special Session of the Assembly on April 13, 2026.
Bajwa further stated that the he had recommended recognising theft of the sacred saroops of Sri Guru Granth Sahib as a distinct offence, constituting a time-bound Special Investigation Team (SIT), providing deemed prosecution sanction in case of undue delay, initiating strict action against officers responsible for compromised investigations, establishing Special Courts for speedy trials and imposing a complete prohibition on the use of firearms during protests relating to sacrilege so that tragedies like Behbal Kalan are never repeated.
Bajwa reiterated that the Congress had fulfilled its constitutional responsibility by placing every concern on record and would continue to work for the broadest possible Panthic consensus to ensure that the final legislation enjoys the confidence of the Sikh community and provides the strongest legal protection to the sanctity, dignity and honour of Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
