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Chandigarh: Amid the intensifying controversy over the 328 missing saroops of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has suffered a major political setback in Punjab’s Doaba region. Banga MLA Dr Sukhwinder Singh Sukhi on Sunday announced his resignation from his cabinet rank status and from the post of Chairman, Punjab State Warehousing Corporation.
Dr Sukhi announced a Facebook post, formally stepping down from the positions conferred on him by the state government.
The resignation comes just days after Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann claimed that 169 of the 328 missing saroops had been recovered from a religious site in Banga, in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr) district—an assertion that has triggered widespread religious and political debate.
Speaking from the religious site of Rasokhana Sri Nabh Kanwal Raja Sahib, which lies at the centre of the controversy, Dr Sukhi sought to distance faith from politics. “This site is not a place for politics for me,” he said.
Announcing his decision, he stated, “I resign from the rank and status of the Cabinet ministry and the position of chairman bestowed on me by the state government. I pray to God to grant me the strength to speak the truth to CM Bhagwant Mann and the AAP leadership and help remove the misgivings surrounding this issue.”
The religious site—also referred to as Darbar Sri Nabh Kanwal Raja Sahib—is a revered place in Banga and has witnessed intense activity over the past several days. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the missing saroops case, along with leaders from the Shiromani Akali Dal, Congress and AAP, have repeatedly visited the site amid the ongoing controversy.
Dr Sukhi, who has been a regular visitor to the shrine, categorically denied any violation of Sikh maryada at the place. “I have been coming here for many days to seek blessings. Recently, doubts have been cast on this place regarding the bhog of Sri Akhand Sahib and the saroops, which have deeply hurt the sentiments of the sangat, of which I am also a part,” he said.
He added that he had visited the site even on the night the FIR was registered and returned to pray that “the Almighty gives strength and instils fear of wrongdoing in the minds of those spreading falsehoods about this sacred place.”
Dr Sukhi was earlier associated with the Shiromani Akali Dal and had also served the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) before joining AAP in August 2024. His resignation is being viewed as a significant political development in Doaba and an embarrassment for the ruling party at a time when the missing saroops issue has already put the government under intense scrutiny.
