Apologetic Kejriwal does ‘sewa’ at Golden Temple

AMRITSAR: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal apologised at the Golden Temple on Monday morning for gaffes by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that included equating a

AMRITSAR: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal apologised at the Golden Temple on Monday morning for gaffes by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that included equating a manifesto with the Guru Granth Sahib and printing its symbol, the broom, on the cover of the document alongside a picture of the holy Sikh shrine.

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Kejriwal performed ‘ sewa’ (service) by washing utensils at the langar ghar (community kitchen) for 45 minutes.

The Delhi CM was accompanied by senior party leadership, including Sucha Singh Chhotepur, Sanjay Singh, HS Phoolka, Lok Sabha MP Bhagwant Mann and spokesperson Sukhpal Khaira.

“While releasing the manifesto, we inadvertently made some mistakes. To repent for those mistakes, we performed sewa today. We also paid obeisance at the Golden Temple. We felt at peace after performing sewa,” Kejriwal said after spending nearly two hours inside the shrine.

The party is looking to do well in next year’s Punjab polls, trouncing the ruling Shiromani Akali DalBJP combine that has been hit by a wave of protests recently as well as the Congress, which is hoping a victory in the state will reverse a nation-wide electoral downslide.

AAP spokesperson Ashish Khetan who equated the manifesto with the Guru Granth Sahib in his speech during the release function on July 3, also performed sewa along with Kejriwal.

Meanwhile, Union minister Harsimrat Kaur accused Kejriwal of indulging in “politics of fraud” and not “politics of penance” . “But people of Punjab will teach him (a lesson). People of Delhi are also realising what a big mistake they have made. He made promises to people of Delhi and has not been able to fulfil them,” Kaur, also a SAD MP, said.

Terming his regime a “failure”, she said, “He is a total failure in Delhi. I have never seen the CM of a state going to another state to make government over there and not serving the people of his state.”

(With PTI inputs)