Sidhu apologises to Akal Takht over Gurbani row

Cricketer-turned-politician and former BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu on Monday tendered a written apology to Akal Takht, the top Sikh temporal seat, over the Gurbani row, saying his religion was the most sacred to him.

Confirming the receipt of the apology, Akal Takht’s head Gurbachan Singh said, “We have the receipt of apology sent by Sidhu through one of his supporters”.

Sidhu in his apology said if he had committed any blasphemously act knowingly or unknowingly and hurt the sentiments of anyone, he apologised with folded hands not even one time, but even repeatedly.

Singh said the fate of his written apology is to be decided in the next meeting of Sikh high priests which is yet to be fixed.

Few days ago, Sidhu’s cavalcade was attacked by a mob in Jammu during an election drive while he was campaigning in favour of Gandhi Nagar Assembly candidate Kavinder Gupta at Bhor camp area. Windowpanes of vehicle were broken while Sidhu escaped unhurt.

Thereafter, a section of people described the cause of attack on Sidhu’s cavalcade in Jammu to be his “blasphemous act” which he had allegedly committed in Ludhiana during the public gathering where he had mistakenly attributed Sikh master Guru Arjan Dev’s words to Arjun of the Mahabharata.

However, a few days after the attack in Jammu, Sidhu had said, “Navjot Singh Sidhu has always been a humble servant of God, and bows every day before Akal Takht Sahib. If any Sikh’s sentiment has been ever hurt by me, I can apologise one lakh times before every Sikh and the sacred Akal Takht.”

“My religion is most sacred to me and my life is mentored by the teachings of Shri Guru Granth Sahib. I have never used religion to gratify selfish vested interests or settle personal scores like Badal Sahib (Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh) who is famous for playing political games under the garb of religion,” he had said.

“He (Badal) has nothing politically against me so is going overboard to settle his personal scores because of his own insecurity. I forgive all those who play puppets in the hand of Badal Sahib,” he had said.

“Sikhism is all about tolerance and universal brotherhood,” Sidhu had said.
Sidhu and his MLA wife Navjot Kaur from BJP had been critical of Akalis especially the Badal family.