The presenc🦂e of 🧸Congress leader Kamal Nath at a Sikh religious event in Indore has led to controversy with kirtan singer Manpreet Singh Kanpuri lashing out at the organizers for inviting him.
A group of people from the community, led by a local 𒉰BJP leader, also `purified' the venue on Tuesday♏ by sprinkling holy water.
A video surfaced on social media on Wednesday showing a furious Kanp🍌uri expressing anger over the organizers felicitating political leaders at the religious program.
He also made an oblique reference to the anti-Sikh riots that broke out after the assassination of then-Prim📖e Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984.
Kanpuri, however, did no🐲t name Kamal Nath directly.
The event had b🍰een organized on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti on Tuesday.
Nath, who heads the Madhya Pradesh unit of Congress, former BJP MP Krishnamu൲rari Moghe, and others attended the event at Khalsa College🉐.
Eyewitnesses said that organizers handed mementos to the political lead💧ers, which delayed the kirtan (devotional songs) program.
After Nath left the venue, Kanpuri lashed out at the organizers from the stage and referred to the anti-Sikh riots💃.
The Delhi High Court i♒n January had asked a Special Investigation Team to file a status report on a plea seeking action against Kamal Nath for his alleged role in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Nath has denied the allegations against him.
On Wednesday, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Narottam Mishra termed the incident "shameful and extremely sad&qu🔴ot;.
"Just ♕as demonic forces used to obstruct yagnas of sages and seers in ancient times, more or less the same behavior was seen at the Indore program," he said.
State Congress's media department chairman K K Mishra told PTI that developments after Kamal Nath's visit to💦 Khalsa C💫ollege were "sponsored by some BJP people".
H💖e termed the BJP's allegations against Kamal Nath regarding the anti-Sikh riots "completely baseless".
"After the riots, Kamal Nath has won Lok 𒐪Sabha elections five times," he said, a🔴dding that the local Sikh community had not objected to Nath attending the program.
A gro💦up of people from the Sikh community protested against the invitation to Kamal Nath for the religious event.
The prote🥀sters said they `purifie🦩d' the venue on Tuesday by sprinkling holy water and milk from the Darbar Sahib Gurdwara in Amritsar.
Loc🌼al BJP leader Rishi Singh Khanuja, who 🉐led the protesters, said they were angry that Nath was invited to the program.
(Inputs from PTI)
