AAP's Ashish Khetan Accused Of Hurting Religious Sentiment In Punjab

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) spokesperson Ashish Khetan has been accused of hurting religious sentiment in a police complaint filed in Punjab.

On Saturday, Mr Khetan had compared AAP's youth manifesto with the Sikh holy book Guru Granth Sahib and also the Gita while launching it in Amritsar.

The manifesto also used an image of the Golden Temple, with the AAP's election symbol - the broom - on it, which provoked furious objections from Sikh groups.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, who was also present during the launch, was lacerated on social media, with hashtags like #KejriinsultsGoldenTemple trending on Twitter.

Mr Khetan later apologized saying he didn't mean to disrespect the holy books. But a group, the All India Sikh Students Federation, said it is not enough and went to the police.

Punjab's Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal called it an "act of blasphemy".

This is the second time AAP has run into trouble in Punjab, where it has big plans for an assembly election debut.

AAP's Delhi lawmaker Naresh Yadav was recently questioned on an incident involving the alleged desecration of the Quran.

Mr Kejriwal has accused Punjab's ruling Akali Dal of going after his party men out of insecurity ahead of polls next year.

The party, which rules Delhi, has turned the Punjab polls, traditionally a direct contest between the Akali Dal and the Congress, into a triangular fight.