Gurbani row: Akal Takht receives apology from Navjot Singh Sidhu

Cricketer-turned-politician and former BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu today 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 hurting the sentiments of anyone, he felt apology 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. Window panes of vehicle were broken while Sidhu escaped unhurt. Thereafter, a section of people described the cause of attack on Sidhu's cavalcade in Jammu was due to 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, which led to allegations of blasphemy.

However, few days ago after the attack in Jammu, Sidhu had said, "Navjot Singh Sidhu has always been a humble servant of God, and bows everyday 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.

 "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. 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.