Amritsar: AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday scrubbed dishes at the Golden temple’s kitchens, in a symbolic repentance to make amends for the ‘unintentional mistake’ of coupling the Golden Temple with his party symbol, the broom.
Kejriwal, who reached the Golden Temple on Sunday evening for his seva, was spotted with folded hands and a kerchief tied around his head, offering prayers, before heading to the famous Langar Hall, which serves over one lakh people in a single day.
He sat for half an hour on the marble floor outside the sanctum sanctorum to listen to religious hymns.
AAP spokesperson Ashish Khetan, who was booked under Section 295-A (for hurting religious sentiments) by the Amritsar police, was also with Kejriwal.
The party was caught in the eye of the storm when its youth manifesto for the upcoming 2017 Polls in Punjab carried an image of the Golden temple with the broom.
"I had come here for 'seva' (voluntary religious service) to apologise if we had knowingly or unknowingly committed any mistake in our youth manifesto. I listened to the 'shabad kirtan' that gave me immense pleasure. Now, I feel peace of mind," he said.
But the AAP chief, who reached Amritsar on Sunday evening for his "seva" or service, was careful to avoid sweeping the floors, which is considered as the most important form of penance, to thwart any criticism for advancing his party cause even at the shrine.
#WATCH: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal performs 'sewa' at Golden Temple in Amritsar (Punjab)https://t.co/rXMcvphG4R
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 18, 2016
Ashish Khaitan also faced trouble for comparing the party manifesto with the holy book of Sikhs, Guru Granth Sahib, and other religious books including the Gita.
The AAP chief had earlier hit out at the ruling SAD-BJP combine, claiming they were feeling "jittery" due to the impending success of AAP in Punjab and had hatched a conspiracy to defame the party.
Kejriwal, who was at the temple for 45 minutes, was accompanied by AAP Punjab convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur, youth leader Harjot Bains, MPs Bhagwant Mann and Sadhu Singh, singer Gurpreet Ghuggi, Delhi MLA Jarnail Singh, MP Bhagwant Mann, actor Gul Panag and advocate HS Phoolka.
