AAP leader Ashish Khetan’s reference to Religious Granths sparks controversy

Chandigarh: Aam Aadmi Party leader Ashish Khetan’s reference to “Religious Granths” has sparked controversy. Addressing a rally in Amritsar yesterday during the launch of Aam Aadmi Party’s Ashish Khetan had said that for them their election manifesto was equivalent to ‘religious Granths’. Elaborating his statement he had equated election manifesto of Aam Aadmi Party with Gita, Quran and even Guru Granth Sahib.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) has slammed Aam Aadmi Party for Ashish Kehtan’s comments. Ruling Party president Sukhbir Badal today said that the AAP leader has committed beadbi by making such reference to Guru Granth Sahab ji and by equating it with a frivolous manifesto released by the party at a public meeting in Amritsar yesterday.

Ashish Khetan addressing the Amritsar Rally [July 03, 2016]

In a statement issued by Deputy CM’s office, the SAD (Badal) president said AAP and its spokesman Ashish Khetan, who also headed the Delhi Dialogue Commission of the party, had equated a document released yesterday with the Guru Granth Sahab ji in the presence of AAP Convenor Arvind Kejriwal and the entire top Punjab leadership of the party. “This is an act of blasphemy which has hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community worldwide and we condemn it as such”.

The SAD leader said it was understood that AAP leaders in Punjab did not have any conscience and had become yes men of Kejriwal and his team of outsiders and that was why they had not raised their voice against this sacrilegious act.

“But for me as a Sikh it is galling to learn how this new party and its mentally sick leaders have attacked Sikhism. They have through their actions shown they don’t respect Sikhism and its tenets”, the statement quotes Sukhbir Badal.

Ashish Khetan’s comments have also sparked strong criticism over the social media.