Ahead of Tuesday's Akal Takht meeting over the Dera Sacha Sauda chief's apology to Guru Gobind Singh, Sikh leaders opposed to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Monday rejected the sect's statement, saying its head owed an apology to the community for dressing up like the guru.

Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee chief Paramjit Singh Sarna also accused Badal, whose government is supported by the Bharatiya Janata Party, of not acting against Dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh because of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh pressure.

"When the Pope made a controversial statement about Muslims last year, he did not apologise to the Prophet, but tendered an apology to the Muslim community. Similarly, the Dera head is required to apologise to the Sikh Panth. We reject his apology to Guru Gobind Singh. It is a gimmick," Sarna, who demanded the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government in Punjab send a team of the state police to arrest him from Sirsa, said.

His comments came before the Akal Takht, Sikhism's highest temporal authority, could take a decision during a key meeting scheduled on Tuesday over the sect's apology.

"We are conveying the sentiments of the Sikhs as the second largest representative body of the community," Sarna claimed when asked whether he was not overstepping his position before the Takht could take a stand.

Badal's party, which lost religious power in Delhi to Sarna five years ago, accuses the DSGMC chief of links with the Congress and former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh, a charge he denies.