In a first, the Gurbani will now be telecast for free from the Golden Temple in Amritsar after the Punjab Assembly passed the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023. The move comes just a day after the Punjab Cabinet on Monday approved an amendment to the British-era Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925 to ensure a free-to-air telecast of Gurbani.
Speaking during the debate on the Bill, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said no channel should have exclusive rights to broadcast the holy Gurbani. He said former Akal Takht Jathedar Gian Harpreet Singh had last year directed the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to have its own channel, but it was not launched. "One channel has the exclusive right to broadcast the holy Gurbani," Mann said in an apparent reference to the PTC channel.
Currently, Gurbani is broadcast from the Sikh shrine by PTC, a private channel often linked to the Shiromani Akali Dal's Badal family. Mann further argued that many people who watch this channel abroad have to pay a hefty amount for its subscription. The chief minister described it as the need of the hour to disseminate the "Sarb Sanji Gurbani" across the globe with the aim of spreading the universal message of "welfare of all".
Echoeing similar sentiments, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Manpreet Ayali said Gurbani should be telecast in a transparent manner and only one channel should not have the exclusive rights. The SGPC should start a channel of its own and give rights, he said. Ayali, however, opposed the Bill as he said the government should not be interfering in SGPC matters. "The SGPC is the apex religious body of the Sikhs and it is also called a 'mini parliament' of the Sikhs," he said.
BSP MLA Nachhatar Pal also opposed the Bill, saying before taking such decisions, consultation with religious bodies and others concerned should be held. According to the provisions of the Bill, 'In the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, after Section 125, Section 125-A shall be inserted.' 'It shall be the duty of the Board (SGPC) to propagate the teachings of the Gurus by making uninterrupted (without any on-screen running advertisements or commercials or distortion) live feed (audio or audio as well as video) of holy Gurbani from Sri Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) available free of cost to all media houses, outlets, platforms, channels, etc, whoever wishes to broadcast anywhere all over the world.
"Anyone broadcasting holy Gurbani from Harmandir Sahib shall not run any advertisement at least 30 minutes prior to start of broadcast of Gurbani and 30 minutes after the broadcast of Gurbani is over," the Bill stated. According to the statements of objects and reasons of the Bill, "Sri Guru Granth Sahib contains the Bani of Sikh Gurus and saints. It is highly desirable that teaching of the Gurus be propagated worldwide. "Therefore, it is imperative that Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee should make Gurbani available free of cost to entire humanity and to ensure that the spread of Gurbani is not commercialised in any manner," it said.
AAP leader Budh Ram said if only one channel has the broadcast rights, the Gurbani cannot reach people in a widespread manner. AAP MLA Ajitpal Singh Kohli said the Gurbani's reach should be far and wide and there cannot be any wrong in this. He also claimed that many SGPC members have welcomed the Bill. Commenting on the Bill, Punjab minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said some are saying the move amounts to interfering in religious matters of Sikhs, which is "baseless". The SGPC had contested the move by the AAP-led Punjab government, saying the 1925 Act is a central legislation and can only be amended by Parliament.
However, Mann on Monday said the state government was fully competent to amend this Act. He reasoned that the Supreme Court had on the issue of a separate gurdwara committee for Haryana ruled that this Act was not an inter-state Act, but a state Act. Meanwhile, Congress members staged a walkout protesting that there was no question hour or zero hour provision in the present session of the Assembly. The BJP had on Monday said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab was holding the two-day special assembly session to further its agenda and wasting taxpayers' money. The party had announced to stay away from the proceedings.
(With inputs from PTI)
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