Chandigarh: Congress leaders on Monday accused the AAP govt of mishandling the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, alleging that its own legislators were not fully aware of the legislation they had passed and that the govt had failed to consult the Akal Takht before framing the law.Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said the proceedings before the Akal Takht revealed that several AAP legislators had approved the legislation without adequately studying it. He claimed many were unaware of the legal meaning of the term “custodian” used in the Act, raising questions over the manner in which the legislation was passed.Randhawa said the govt should have consulted religious institutions, legal experts and other stakeholders before introducing the law.Punjab Congress president and Ludhiana MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said the Punjab govt was duty-bound to consult the Akal Takht on matters concerning Sikh religious affairs before framing legislation. Referring to the 1959 Nehru-Master Tara Singh agreement cited during the Akal Takht proceedings, he said he hoped the govt would amend the law in line with the Takht’s directions.Separately, Warring and Randhawa alleged that the live telecast of the Akal Takht proceedings was interrupted under pressure from the Punjab govt. Warring claimed some television channels stopped the live broadcast midway and resumed it only after the jathedar intervened, while Randhawa alleged that if the telecast was halted under govt pressure, it amounted to an attack on democracy, press freedom and Panthic traditions.
