Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj on Thursday asked all Sikh MLAs in the government to listen to their conscience and play their due role in implementing the decision taken at Sri Akal Takht Sahib, amid the ongoing row over the state’s sacrilege law.Addressing a gathering before Miri-Piri Khalsa March left Gurdwara Khalsa Diwan here for its next leg, the Jathedar said that for a Sikh, Guru Granth Sahib and Guru Panth take precedence, and anything against their dignity and principles would never be acceptable.He rejected the government’s claim that all demands of Akal Takht and Sikh Panth regarding the sacrilege law had been accepted, calling it untrue. Clarifying the Panth’s position, he said there was no objection to a strict punishment law for those who commit sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib.However, he insisted that the custody, service and dignity of Guru Granth Sahib remain the exclusive right of Guru Panth. No government or official has any right to interfere in this, he said.He added that any inspection of saroops of Guru Granth Sahib in Sikh households by government officials amounted to direct interference in religious freedom and the Guru-Sikh relationship. “This cannot be accepted under any circumstances,” he said.The Jathedar said that despite repeated clarifications, if the matter continued to be misrepresented as fully resolved, it would remain contrary to the truth. He urged Sikh MLAs to remember that governments come and go, but the Guru and Guru Panth are paramount. He demanded that clauses objected to by the sangat be removed as promised by Akal Takht.SGPC president Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami said that MLAs and ministers, in the presence of Singh Sahibans, had earlier assured and pledged that necessary amendments would be made to the Act. Instead, the government had sent only an explanation letter, which appeared to be an attempt to mislead people, he said. He added that Khalsa March was not aimed at clashing with anyone, but at creating awareness about the supremacy of Akal Takht Sahib and the rights of the Sikh community.Expressing concern over the escalating drug crisis in Punjab, Jathedar Gargaj said narcotics were now being delivered to homes across the state, posing a grave threat to the youth and the future of the region. Referring to the rising migration of youth abroad and changing demographic patterns, he appealed to Sikh couples to have at least three children each to preserve the community’s heritage and presence in Punjab.The march, now in its eighth day, received a warm welcome from local devotees in Faridkot before proceeding to Gurdwara Gangsar Sahib in Jaito for its next stage.