The Punjab Cabinet led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday said that the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023 will pave the way “for eliminating the undue control of ‘Modern Day Masands’ over the free to air telecast of the sacred Gurbani”.
Addressing the media after the Cabinet meeting, the Chief Minister said that the Cabinet has approved the proposal to amend The Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925 and to insert Section 125 A in the Act thereby casting duty on the SGPC to ensure free-to-air live telecast of the Holy Gurbani from Sri Harmandir Sahib. He said that this amendment has been made with the objective that the entire humanity is able to listen to and see the live telecast of Holy Gurbani free of cost.
According to a Punjab government release, Bhagwant Mann said that this move is aimed at ensuring that Holy Gurbani is not commercialized in any manner.
The Chief Minister said that this Act will be called the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Act, 2023 and will come into force on and with effect from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.
He said that in the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, after section 125, section 125-A will be inserted for the live telecast of Gurbani free of cost.
Bhagwant Mann said that the Act stipulates that it will be the duty of the Board to propagate the teachings of the Gurus by making uninterrupted (without any on-screen running advertisements/commercials/distortion) live feed (Audio or Audio as well as Video) of Holy Gurbani from Sri Harmandir Sahib available free of cost to all media houses, outlets, platforms, channels, whoever wishes to broadcast it.
The Chief Minister said that as a humble and devotee Sikh, he is a votary of free-to-air telecast of the Gurbani across the globe. Bhagwant Mann wondered how this was an attack on panth “as he was just opposing the control of a particular channel over the telecast of Gurbani, which is totally unwarranted and unjustified”.
He said that this move is not aimed at giving rights to any particular channel of government or of any single individual but it is aimed at spreading the message of Gurbani across the globe.
The Chief Minister asserted that the state government is fully competent to amend this act as the Apex court had already through a judgment ruled that this act is not an inter-state Act.
He said that “a single family had dominated the affairs of the SGPC since long due to which an irreparable damage had been made to the Sikh panth”.
According to the release, Bhagwant Mann said that “playing a dirty game this family tried to encash the religious sentiments of Sikhs by giving exclusive rights of telecast of Gurbani to their blue-eyed channel whereas no mention of word telecast or broadcast was there in the Act”.
The Chief Minister said that as people wish to listen to Gurbani from Sri Harmandir Sahib so they had to subscribe to this channel. However, he said that “the package of this channel is given along with other channels which is too expensive”.
Bhagwant Mann said that SGPC, which was constituted by Sikh Gurudwara Act 1925, was entrusted with the task of spreading the message of Gurbani, but it has forgotten its duty while acting as a stooge in the hands of their master family.
The Chief Minister said that 11 years have passed and the SGPC elections have not taken place in the state.
He said that it is surprising that “the acting President of the SGPC is removing the acting Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib just because he is not toeing the line of the master family”.
According to the release, Bhagwant Mann said that the Act “is not an attack on panth but it is just a humble effort to ensure free to air telecast of sacred Gurbani across the globe”.
Mann said in his press conference the state government will present the amendment bill in Punjab assembly on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami condemned Bhagwant Mann over his remarks that they will amend the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925 for free telecast rights of ‘Gurbani’ from Golden Temple and said that the AAP government in the state is trying to politicise the issue and have no right to make such changes.
“Punjab Government can’t interfere in any manner. They don’t have the right…They are trying to politicise this and I strongly condemn this. I urge Bhagwant Mann to not do anything like this,” Dhami told ANI.
Dhami, who also addressed a press conference, said changes in the Act can only be made by Parliament and a resolution pertaining to a proposed change is passed by SGPC.
“They are giving a political colour to a religious matter to please their political bosses sitting in Delhi. Don’t make this SGPC versus government. We request the government to not interfere otherwise they would be responsible for the consequences…If anyone has ever interfered even a little, they had to regret it,” he said.
Dhami said Punjab Chief Minister should be concerned about the development of the state and added that SGPC is capable of making its decisions.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had on Sunday said that the state government will amend the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925, to make telecast of Gurbani from the Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar free for all and no tender would be required.
“With God’s blessings, we are going to make a historic decision tomorrow. According to the demand of all the devotees, we are adding a new clause in the Sikh Gurdwara Act 1925 that the transmission of Gurbani from Harimandar Sahib will be free for all…no tender required ..tomorrow in the cabinet ..on June 20 the resolution will come in the Vidhan Sabha,” Mann said in a tweet on Sunday.
Leaders from Shiromani Akali Dal and Congress said that the state government is not entitled to make such changes.
Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former Punjab Education Minister Daljeet Cheema said the move is unconstitutional
