CHANDIGARH: The Punjab cabinet on Monday approved an amendment in the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925 to make transmission of Gurbani from the Golden Temple in Amritsar free for all.
The AAP-led Punjab government and the apex religious body of Sikhs Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) are at loggerheads over the telecast of Gurbani from the Golden Temple.
The bill would be tabled in the ongoing special session of the Punjab assembly on Tuesday for discussion and is likely to be passed. On the other hand, the SGPC’s direct interference in the religious affairs of Sikhs may let the controversy snowball further.
After the state cabinet meeting, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that the cabinet has approved the amendment of the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925 and inserted Section 125 A thereby casting duty on the SGPC to ensure free-to-air live telecast of the Gurbani from the Golden Temple. The CM said that this amendment has been made with the objective to ‘enable entire humanity’ to listen to and see the live telecast of Gurbani, free of cost.
He said that this move is also aimed at checking the commercialisation of the Gurbani in any manner. The act will be called the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Act, Mann clarified. He said that the Act stipulates that it will be the duty of the SGPC board to propagate the teachings of Gurus uninterrupted – without any on-screen ads or commercials and to make it available free of cost to all media outlets, platforms, channels etc. He said that as a humble Sikh devotee, he is a votary of free-to-air telecasts of the Gurbani across the globe.
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), President Harjinder Singh Dhami said that adding a new clause in the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925 can only be done by the Union government through the Parliament of the country as per the recommendations of the General House of the SGPC. He said that Mann wants to please his masters in Delhi by giving a political colour to the religious affairs of the Sikhs.
About the broadcast of Gurbani from Golden Temple, he said that the worldwide broadcast of Gurbani is already going on, with which the Sangat (community) everywhere are satisfied and no money is taken from the community.