Delhi Minister Sirsa attacks Atishi, Kejriwal for ‘disrespecting’ Sikh Gurus

New Delhi, Jan 12 (IANS) Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Monday launched a sharp attack on the Aam Aadmi Party, opposition leader Atishi, Arvind Kejriwal, and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over the alleged disrespect of Sikh Gurus in the Delhi Assembly. 

Addressing a press conference, Sirsa stated that the incident in the Delhi Assembly on the 350th martyrdom day of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji was insulting and shameful, and the Aam Aadmi Party and its leaders are now attempting to deny this incident by misusing power.

Sirsa provided a chronological account of the entire incident, stating that on January 6, a discussion was underway in the Delhi Assembly under Article 270 of the Constitution to pay tribute to Guru Tegh Bahadur’s martyrdom.

At 2 p.m., he proposed the resolution, on which BJP and Aam Aadmi Party MLAs also expressed their views.

He informed that the Leader of Opposition, Atishi, refused to say anything before speaking on Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji’s martyrdom. After that, the Chief Minister gave her statement until 3:48 p.m.

“Immediately after that, at 3.49 p.m., Leader of Opposition Atishi stood up and started creating a ruckus by saying, ‘discuss pollution.’ During this, she uttered such derogatory words about Guru Sahib that even repeating them is a sin,” said Sirsa

The Minister said that this entire incident is clearly recorded in the Assembly’s live video, and during the live broadcast, he, his fellow Minister Kapil Mishra and MLA Anil Sharma immediately raised objections to it.

The Minister raised the question, “When discussions on Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji’s martyrdom were happening the entire day, in what context and for whom did Atishi use these derogatory words?”

He said that Leader of the Opposition Atishi is unable to answer this question because she has committed a grave sin, and she knows it too.

Sirsa said that after this, Atishi fled the Assembly and has not been seen publicly for the past several days.

He stated, “If Atishi is innocent, why is she not coming forward? Why has she not lodged a complaint in Delhi? When the Assembly Speaker, on the request of MLAs from both the ruling and opposition sides, clearly sent the video for forensic investigation, why did Atishi and the Aam Aadmi Party not wait for that report?”

The Minister alleged that when the AAP realised that the truth would come out in the forensic investigation, they used the police to file an FIR, even though the incident did not occur in Punjab, the video was not uploaded from Punjab, and none of the accused has any direct connection to Punjab.

He also questioned the statement in the FIR that described the video as “doctored and edited.”

The Minister said that the entire proceedings of the Assembly are still available as is on YouTube, Facebook, and social media platforms, which Atishi and Aam Aadmi Party leaders themselves have shared on social media. In such a case, the allegation of tampering with the video is completely false and baseless.

Sirsa said that this matter is no longer just a political controversy; it has become a serious issue connected to the honour of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, the Sikh faith, and the country’s federal structure.

He stated, “The sin that Aurangzeb committed in the arrogance of power is the same that Kejriwal is repeating today in the arrogance of power.”

Addressing Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, he appealed that as a Sikh Chief Minister, his moral responsibility increases even more, and he should not become a partner in this sin.

In the end, Sirsa said in clear terms that no matter how much the AAP tries, the truth cannot be suppressed. History cannot be changed with the support of power and police, and those who are involved in this sin will have to answer for it.

--IANS

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