CHANDIGARH: Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson Ashish Khetan has been accused of hurting religious sentiment in one of the latest controversies to hit the party in Punjab. Khetan, while launching his party's youth manifesto in Amritsar, compared the booklet with religious books like the Guru Granth Sahib and the Gita.
"This is our bible, our Gita, and our Guru Granth Sahib," Khetan said. The booklet also used an image of the Golden Temple, along with a smiling Arvind Kejriwal and the party's election symbol, the broom, further triggering objections. Twitter directed their wrath at the Delhi Chief Minister, and it wasn't too long before hashtags like #Kejriinsults GoldenTemple began to trend on the internet.
Following the backlash, Khetan later apologised, saying he didn't mean to disrespect the holy books. While state Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal called it an "act of blasphemy", the All India Sikh Students Federation said it was not enough and went to the police. Meanwhile, Kejriwal has accused Punjab's ruling Akali Dal of going after his party men out of insecurity ahead of the polls. The party, which rules Delhi, has turned the Punjab election, traditionally a direct contest between the Akali Dal and the Congress, into a triangular fight.
