Gurbani row: SGPC rejects amendment in Gurdwaras Act, calls special meet on June 26

SGPC president said the Punjab government is “weakening” the Sikh organisation by making Gurbani broadcast an issue. He said the SGPC is already working through a sub-committee in the matter of Gurbani broadcast while the Bhagwant Mann government is “deliberately adding confusion to the issue to gain popularity

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Tuesday rejected the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023, passed by the Punjab Vidhan Sabha and called a special session of its general House on June 26 to counter it.

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami said this day will go down as a black day in the 103-year-long history of SGPC, when the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of Punjab passed an unconstitutional bill by directly interfering with the gurdwara managements. (HT File)

Reacting to the legislation, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said, “This day will go down as a black day in the 103-year-long history of SGPC, when the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of Punjab passed an unconstitutional bill by directly interfering with the gurdwara managements. This will not be allowed to be implemented at any cost.”

“This anti-Sikh move by the Punjab government led by Bhagwant Mann will be answered at all levels, for which, a special general session of the SGPC has been convened at Teja Singh Samundari Hall on June 26 to decide the outline,” he said at a press conference here.

Dhami further said, “Even at the time of establishment of SGPC, the British government had set up a government committee, which the Sikhs rejected and set up their own committee. Now, the Punjab government led by Bhagwant Singh is walking on the same path.”

He further said the state government cannot make any amendment in the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, on its own, as it can only be done with the recommendations of the SGPC’s general house.

The SGPC president said the Punjab government is “weakening” the Sikh organisation by making Gurbani broadcast an issue. He said the SGPC is already working through a sub-committee in the matter of Gurbani broadcast while the Bhagwant Mann government is “deliberately adding confusion to the issue to gain popularity”.

SGPC should have started own channel: Jagir Kaur

Jalandhar Former SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur termed the amendment a forceful and dictatorial move, stating that it is AAP’s conspiracy to weaken the Sikh community.

She said had the SGPC started its own YouTube channel, this would not have happened.

“Last year, Giani Harpreet Singh had directed the SGPC to start its own YouTube channel for live telecast. I batted for these directions then and stand by it even now. The SGPC should have its own channel instead of giving rights to one particular channel or several others,” she said.

Accusing the state government of trying to “weaken” the SGPC, she said, “The formulation of a separate Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and now this amendment are testimony to the direct attack on Sikh community and SGPC.”

Mann govt’s move unethical, Sukhbir to be equally blamed: Dhindsa

Chandigarh Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt) leader and former finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa on Tuesday accused chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann of taking “an unethical decision” regarding the broadcast of Gurbani from Golden Temple and making an amendment in the Sikh Gurdwara Act 1925.

He said Sukhbir Singh Badal is also equally responsible for this decision as gave all rights to telecast the Gurbani to only one channel. “If he had accepted the suggestion of former acting jathedar of Akal Takht, Giani Harpreet Singh, regrading SGPC having its independent channel, the Mann government would not have had the courage to interfere in Sikh issues, said Dhindsa.