Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Payal Manwinder Singh Giaspura on Monday stirred a row by making objectionable remarks against Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, after being denied entry to the Takht secretariat while joining fellow legislators and leaders to hand over a memorandum regarding police entry into Gurdwara Bangla Sahib.

Hours after the meeting, the jathedar summoned the entire delegation, excluding Giaspura, to appear on October 15 for failing to clarify the situation to the media regarding his controversial remarks.

Led by Amritsar south MLA and Chief Khalsa Diwan president Inderbir Singh Nijjar, the delegation including 12 AAP MLAs visited the secretariat to meet the jathedar and submit the memorandum seeking strict action against Union Home minister Amit Shah over the October 10 incident in which Delhi Police personnel entered Gurdwara Bangla Sahib .

All the delegation members went inside the secretariat except Giaspura who was denied entry over his alleged past objectionable remarks against the jathedar and Sikh institutions.

Furious over the incident, Giaspura announced to the reporters outside that he was denied entry to the secretariat because of his Dalit identity. His statement went viral after it was broadcast by a news channel.

Later, Takht media adviser Jaskaran Singh made it clear that he was denied entry over his past objectionable remarks.

“Bagicha Singh, in-charge of the Akal Takht secretariat, received the complaint letter from the legislators. They were informed that the letter would be placed before the jathedar for appropriate action. However, Giaspura was denied entry into the secretariat on the directions of jathedar over his objectionable remarks against Sikh personalities and institutions in the past,” he said.

He said the delegation included AAP MLAs Dalbir Singh from Baba Bakala Sahib and Kulwant Singh Pandori from Mehal Kalan, who belong to the same community as Giaspura, but they were not stopped from entering the secretariat.

Jaskaran Singh said Giaspura should apologise to the Sikh community for “false and misleading propaganda”. If he failed to do so, strict action would be initiated against him by the Akal Takht, he said.

He said the government had not obtained a prior appointment for the legislators’ visit to the secretariat.

Phoolka accuses AAP of creating false narrative

Meanwhile, BJP leader and senior Supreme Court advocate HS Phoolka on Monday accused the AAP of attempting to create a false narrative about the gurdwara incident and of conspiring to disturb peace in Punjab.

Addressing a press conference, Phoolka said the Delhi Police remained outside the gurdwara’s main entrance gate and that protesters were taken into custody from outside. He said that the complete CCTV footage and all available videos should be examined impartially to establish the facts of the incident.