In a significant political development, Punjab’s all 15 Congress MLAs led by Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa appeared before the five Sikh high priests, headed by acting Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, at the Golden Temple complex on Monday. The move notably took place without prior consultation with the Congress party’s central high command.Bajwa had convened a meeting of the party MLAs in Amritsar the previous evening in response to summons issued by the Akal Takht Secretariat over the contentious ‘Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026’, which punishes any person who dares to commit sacrilege against the Guru Granth Sahib, the living Guru of the Sikhs.“Being the leader of the legislative party, I called a meeting of all MLAs, and everyone agreed to present themselves before the Akal Takht,” Bajwa told The Tribune.The submission of the Congress MLAs in front of the supreme temporal authority of the Sikhs has taken place at a time when a broader restructuring of the Punjab Congress is underway, including for the top post of the state party president, following a series of high-level discussions held in Delhi over the last few days.Just a day prior, on Jattvibeday, Bajwa led a silent sit-in protest near the Town Hall in Amritsar against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for allegedly defying the authority of the Akal Takht. Party insiders indicate that more such protests are planned for the coming days.While reaffirming the Congress party’s faith in the Akal Takht, the delegation launched a sharp attack on the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. They alleged that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s administration had shown a “complete disregard for Sikh principles, traditions, and institutions” by rushing the anti-sacrilege legislation through the Assembly without wider consultations.The Congress leaders accused the government of failing to build a broad Panthic consensus on the highly emotive issue. They claimed the ruling party bypassed a meaningful dialogue with the Sikh community, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), Sikh scholars, and other key stakeholders.In a formal letter submitted to the Akal Takht Jathedar today, the Congress highlighted several concrete suggestions it had previously submitted to the Assembly’s Select Committee well ahead of the special Vidhan Sabha session on April 13.While the Congress has largely stayed away from active Panthic politics in recent years, the party appears to be capitalising on the escalating standoff between the AAP government and the Akal Takht. Senior leaders indicated the Congress hopes to fill the emerging vacuum in Panthic political leadership and position itself as a credible alternative for Panthic voters.Former Deputy Chief Minister and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who was also part of the delegation, held both the AAP and the BJP responsible for undermining the authority of Sikh institutions, calling upon his party to maintain an aggressive stance to protect their sanctity.Notably, Randhawa has also staked his claim for the post of the party president, as has former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, currently the MP from Jalandhar. The current president, Raja Warring, did not appear before the Takht because he is not an MLA.