BJP Spokesperson Slams Mann Government for Failing to Implement Anand Marriage (Amendment) Act, 2012 in Punjab
AMRITSAR: Reacting to the Punjab Government's decision to convene a special session of the Legislative Assembly to pass a strict law against sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and other holy scriptures, BJP state spokesperson and noted Sikh thinker Prof. Sarchand Singh Khiala said:
“If this session is genuinely aimed at building a robust legal mechanism to prevent sacrilege and protect religious sentiments and faith, it is a welcome step. But before such a law is debated, the people of Punjab deserve accountability: from 2015 to 2025, under existing provisions like IPC Sections 295, 295A, and 153A — which prescribe 2–3 years of imprisonment — how many of the more than 300 sacrilege-related FIRs have resulted in convictions during the Mann government's tenure?
If the answer is unknown or limited to just 8–10 minor outcomes, how can anyone believe that this new bill is being brought with sincerity and not as a political gimmick?”
Prof. Khiala further alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is exploiting religious sentiments to distract the public from its failure on all fronts — governance, justice, and mounting state debt, now crossing ₹4 lakh crore.
He questioned the recent “dramatic interest” of what he called the “Kejriwal Ad Company” in Sikh religious affairs, asking:
> “If Arvind Kejriwal truly cares about Sikh identity, why has his government not implemented the Anand Marriage (Amendment) Act, 2012, passed by the Modi government, which grants legal recognition to Sikh marriages under the Anand Karaj tradition?
Over 12 Indian states have already notified the Act. Why is Punjab — the spiritual homeland of the Sikhs — still lagging?”
Prof. Khiala emphasized that on sensitive issues like sacrilege, symbolism without sincerity is dangerous. Mere legislation cannot bring change unless backed by moral clarity, firm political will, and genuine reverence for religion — all of which he claimed are missing in the Mann-led regime.
He also exposed the hypocrisy of the AAP, recalling that before the Punjab Assembly elections, both Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann had promised justice in the sacrilege cases and even introduced former police officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh — known for investigating the Bargari and Behbal Kalan cases — as a party face.
“Today, that same MLA has been expelled from the party and has publicly accused the AAP leadership of betraying justice. He has even demanded the resignation of CM Bhagwant Mann, saying the government has sided with the guilty and cheated the public. He declared that the final verdict now lies in the court of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, ” Khiala stated.
Prof. Khiala pointed out that no major accused in the Bargari sacrilege, Behbal Kalan firing, or Kotkapura police firing cases has been punished to date. He also reminded the public that in 2016, a local court sentenced AAP MLA Naresh Yadav to two years' imprisonment for his involvement in the desecration of the Holy Quran in Malerkotla.
He stated, “The Sikh and Punjabi communities are fully aware and vigilant. They don’t want emotional manipulation or token gestures. What they demand is true justice, not politically motivated sympathy.”
He further asserted that any new anti-sacrilege law must be religion-neutral, protecting all holy scriptures equally, in line with India’s ethos of tolerance and pluralism. He reminded that similar bills were passed earlier — during the Akali-BJP rule in 2016 and the Congress regime in 2018 — but were legally challenged due to constitutional concerns.
Prof. Khiala concluded with a call for national-level debate on this subject:
“Such laws inevitably raise questions about Article 19 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and expression, and the very definition of secularism. Let us not forget — the term ‘secular’ was inserted during the Emergency via the 42nd Amendment Act in 1975 by Indira Gandhi. Today, the time has come to re-examine the balance between faith, freedom, and constitutional clarity.”