Kejriwal’s Punjab Visit Sparks Debate Amid AAP’s Akal Takht Row

Arvind Kejriwal’s arrival in Punjab on Saturday for a three-day participation in “Ek Shaam Bhagwan Shiv De Naam” events in Amritsar, Gurdaspur, and Batala will take place against an exceptionally tense political backdrop: a developing political controversy surrounding a “objectionable” video that allegedly depicts Chief Minister Bhagwant hurting Sikh sentiments.Two days later, all Sikh MLAs—including ministers and lawmakers from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which backed the state’s anti-sacrilege legislation—will be heard by the Akal Takht.The confluence of these occurrences has prompted concerns about whether the AAP is trying to change the focus from a religious dispute among Sikhs to a wider Hindu outreach.

Shivender Singh, a political analyst in Punjab, said, “Political parties always try to woo every section of society and AAP is also following suit. Hence to woo the Hindu voters, the party is launching this programme closer to the day when the Akal Takht has summoned the ministers in the AAP government. He added that on the Akal Takht issue, the party may be seen as in collision with the highest temporal seat, but on the ground, the anger is still not so present.

Sikh organisations, agricultural concerns, and regional identity have always dominated Punjabi politics. Election calculation, however, presents a more complex picture. Nearly 38% of Punjab’s population is Hindu, and they are mostly found in dozens of metropolitan and semi-urban areas.A politically awkward scenario has resulted from the recent issue surrounding Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the Akal Takht’s decision to call Sikh lawmakers. The opposition has taken advantage of the party’s insistence that it respects Sikh institutions to paint the AAP as increasingly at war with some parts of the Sikh religious establishment.

This is the point at which Kejriwal’s attendance at Hindu religious gatherings takes on political significance. The Punjab government is organising the events, which are intended to be religious and cultural get-togethers.

Meanwhile, Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann were present at the AAP’s state-level “Ek Shaam Bhagwan Shiv Ke Naam” event in Jalandhar on June 13, which attracted a sizable crowd. Kejriwal said during the event that three additional pilgrimage circuits spanning Salasar, Khatu Shyam, and Mathura-Vrindavan would be added to the state’s Tirth Yatra Scheme. In keeping with the party’s increasing focus on religious and cultural outreach in the state, he also announced plans to renovate the hallowed Kali Mata Temple in Patiala and pledged to bring renowned actor Ashutosh Rana’s Ramayana-based theatrical performance to Punjab.