The Sikh clergy on Friday declared Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Manwinder Singh Giaspura ‘tankhaiya’, a term used for someone found guilty of religious misconduct, over his controversial allegations of caste discrimination against Sikh institutions.
The decision followed a meeting of Sikh religious authorities, during which acting Akal Takht jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargaj read out the religious decree against Giaspura. The clergy accused the legislator of making false allegations against the sewadars of the Golden Temple and using derogatory language that hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community.
Reading out the edict, Gargaj said Giaspura’s conduct was grave and undermined Sikh principles. He also instructed Sikhs to refrain from maintaining any association with the legislator.
The development came on the same day that 12 AAP legislators and other party leaders appeared before the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs to submit a joint written apology over their failure to publicly counter Giaspura’s allegations.
Dispute began after Giaspura was denied entry to Akal Takht secretariat
The controversy dates back to October 12, when Giaspura, the AAP legislator from the Payal constituency in Ludhiana district, was stopped from entering the Akal Takht secretariat while accompanying a party delegation.
The delegation, led by Amritsar South MLA and Chief Khalsa Diwan president Inderbir Singh Nijjar, had arrived to submit a memorandum concerning the entry of police personnel into Gurdwara Bangla Sahib.
Secretariat officials denied Giaspura entry, citing his previous objectionable statements against the jathedar and Sikh institutions.
After being turned away, Giaspura told reporters outside the premises that he had been excluded because of his Dalit identity. He also allegedly made derogatory remarks against the Akal Takht secretariat, which is located within the Golden Temple complex.
The allegations prompted a response from Sikh religious authorities. The acting jathedar summoned the other members of the delegation, excluding Giaspura, after they failed to refute his claims of caste discrimination while speaking to the media.
The Takht secretariat also issued a clarification stating that no restrictions had been imposed on two other legislators from the same community who were part of the delegation.
Twelve AAP MLAs apologise for failing to counter allegations
On Friday, 12 AAP legislators and accompanying party leaders appeared before acting Akal Takht jathedar and Takht Damdama Sahib jathedar Tek Singh Dhanuala.
In their joint written submission, the legislators acknowledged that they had failed to clarify the matter to reporters despite being directed to do so. They admitted that they should have stated that no caste discrimination had taken place and that Giaspura’s remarks were inappropriate.
The delegation sought forgiveness and reiterated that no individual is barred from entering Akal Takht on the grounds of caste, race or colour. It also distanced itself from Giaspura’s statements, describing them as his personal views.
After accepting the apology, the jathedar directed the delegation to issue a public clarification to the press to remove any misunderstanding surrounding the allegations.
Sikh clergy says remarks hurt community sentiments
Following the hearing and deliberations, the Sikh clergy issued the edict declaring Giaspura guilty of religious misconduct.
In the decree, Gargaj said the MLA had levelled false allegations of caste discrimination against the sewadars of the Golden Temple. He further stated that the use of extremely derogatory language had deeply hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community.
The clergy described the alleged conduct as a serious offence that undermined Sikh principles and instructed Sikhs to refrain from maintaining any association with Giaspura.
The episode has placed the AAP legislator’s remarks and the party delegation’s response at the centre of a dispute involving Sikh religious institutions, allegations of caste discrimination and the conduct expected of elected representatives when addressing matters concerning the faith.