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SGPC meet a sham, decision already taken by Badal family, says Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann
SGPC, while rejecting the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023 passed by the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on June 20, had called a special session of its general house on June 26 to decide the next course of action.
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday said that the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) will announce an already decided verdict on Monday (June 26) at its special session of its general House as per directions of their ‘masters’.
SGPC, while rejecting the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023 passed by the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on June 20, had called a special session of its general house to decide the next course of action.
In a statement issued here, the CM said that it is unfortunate that the premier organisation of Sikhs has now become a stooge at the hands of its masters.
He said that the SGPC meeting was just a sham as the decision has been already pre-scripted by the Akali leadership. “The SGPC’s decision has been finalised and the announcement is just a formality,” Mann said in the statement.
The chief minister said that this can be well judged by the fact that the SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami has been already summoned to the Akali Dal office. He said that the SGPC chief has been dictated the decision by Sikandar Singh Maluka, Prem Singh Chandumajra, Balwinder Singh Bhunder, Daljit Singh Cheema and Hira Singh Gabria and others who are present in the meeting. Bhagwant Mann said these leaders are apprising the decision of the Badal family to the president regarding the opposition to the Sikh Gurudwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023.
“The pre-scripted decision will be announced by the SGPC president tomorrow,” added Mann.
The Chief Minister said that the state assembly has already passed the Sikh Gurudwaras (Amendment) Bill 2023, which will be sent to the governor for his nod. “This bill which envisages free-to-air telecast of the sacred Gurbani from Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple), Amritsar, on all the audio/video platforms and this decision of the state government is already being welcomed by every section of society,” he said.
