Chandigarh: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) Monday unanimously rejected a proposed law that allows multiple channels to relay the gurbani from Amritsar’s Golden Temple — a move that could potentially escalate its ongoing standoff with the Punjab government.
Calling the Punjab government’s amendment to the Sikh Gurdwaras Act of 1925 “anti-Sikh”, the SGPC’s general house, which met at the Teja Singh Samundri Hall of the Golden Temple — the highest Sikh shrine — passed a resolution against it and also promised to begin a protest if the Punjab government didn’t revoke it.
The resolution also demanded a public apology from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
The development comes a week after the state assembly passed the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which allows multiple channels to relay the gurbani from the Golden Temple, ending the practice of giving a single channel such rights. The bill is currently pending approval from Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit.
Called the Parliament of Sikhs, the SGPC is a body created under the 1925 Act and has members elected by Sikhs across Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh every five years. It is responsible for managing gurdwaras in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh.
While the day-to-day working of the body is carried out by its executive committee, a special general house of all the elected members is generally called to discuss important issues, such as the amendment.
Although a resolution of SGPC’s general house is not binding, it could act as a serious source of religious-moral pressure on the state’s dispensation.
The SGPC also held that Mann’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government was “clearly” interfering in the religious affairs of the Sikhs.
“According to a pact of 1959 between the then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and the then SGPC president Master Tara Singh, any amendment to the Sikh Gurdwaras Act of 1925 can only be brought about after a resolution is passed by two-third members of the SGPC,” SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said at the general house meeting which was streamed live on its official YouTube channel.
He added: “But Mann interfering in Punjab’s religious affairs with the aim of implementing the anti-Sikh ideology of his Delhi-based boss and AAP chief Shri Arvind Kejriwal and to usurp the Sikh organisation SGPC”.
Mann responded to the development by calling the SGPC president the “chief spokesperson” of Sukhbir Badal’s Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). In his tweet in Punjabi, he also asked if any discussion was held at the meeting, or whether it was simply aimed at “abusing” him.
ਸ਼੍ਰੋਮਣੀ ਅਕਾਲੀ ਦਲ ਬਾਦਲ ਦੇ “ਮੁੱਖ ਬੁਲਾਰੇ” ਸ੍ਰੀ ਹਰਜਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਧਾਮੀ ਜੀ ਅੱਜ ਦੇ ਇਜਲਾਸ ਵਿੱਚ ਪਵਿੱਤਰ ਗੁਰਬਾਣੀ ਦੇ ਸਭ ਨੂੰ ਮੁਫਤ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਰਣ ਬਾਰੇ ਕੋਈ ਵਿਚਾਰ ਵਟਾਂਦਰਾ ਹੋਇਆ ਜਾਂ ਫਿਰ ਮੈਨੂੰ ਗਾਲਾਂ ਕੱਢਣ ਦਾ ਮਤਾ ਪਾਸ ਕਰਕੇ ਇਜਲਾਸ ਖਤਮ??..ਧਾਮੀ ਸਾਹਬ ਲੋਕ ਸਭ ਦੇਖ ਰਹੇ ਨੇ..ਕਬੂਤਰ ਦੇ ਅੱਖਾਂ ਮੀਚਣ ਨਾਲ ਬਿੱਲੀ ਨਹੀਂ ਭੱਜਦੀ…
— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) June 26, 2023
Passed in the Punjab assembly on 20 June, the amendment to the British-era Sikh Gurdwaras Act 1925 sought to allow multiple radio, television and social media channels to relay gurbani. Currently, broadcast rights are with the PTC, a channel owned by SAD president and former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.
The government’s decision to get the bill passed in the Punjab assembly — where Mann’s AAP has 92 legislators in the 117-member house — has also led to an escalating standoff with the SGPC, which claims that the House had no jurisdiction over the Sikh Gurdwaras Act of 1925.
The amendment was also passed in defiance of the jathedar of the Akal Takht — the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs. The jathedar had asked the Mann government to desist from any move that could be seen as an attempt to dilute the authority of the SGPC.
Monday’s meeting also comes a day after Dhami’s visit to the SAD office in Chandigarh.
Reacting to the Sunday visit, Mann claimed that the SGPC president had already “taken instructions” from SAD and that Monday’s general meeting was a “farce”.
ਪੰਜਾਬੀਓ ਹੁਣ ਫ਼ੈਸਲਾ ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕਰੋ..ਸ਼੍ਰੋਮਣੀ ਗੁਰਦਵਾਰਾ ਪ੍ਰਬੰਧਕ ਕਮੇਟੀ ਦੀ ਘਰ ਦੀ ਮੀਟਿੰਗ ਅਕਾਲੀ ਦਲ ਦੇ ਦਫ਼ਤਰ ਚ..?? ਇਹਦਾ ਕੀ ਮਤਲਬ ਐ ??? ਵਿਚਾਰ ਜਰੂਰ ਦਿਓ..ਇਹ ਸੰਗਤ ਦੇ ਫ਼ਤਵੇ ਤੋਂ ਭੱਜ ਨਹੀ ਸਕਦੇ..ਮੈਂ ਇਹ ਫ਼ੈਸਲਾ ਤੁਹਾਡੇ ਤੇ ਛੱਡਦਾ ਹਾਂ…ਇਹਨਾਂ ਦੇ ਚਿਹਰੇ ਬੇਨਕਾਬ ਕਰੀਏ.. pic.twitter.com/xYtVTeL8r2
— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) June 25, 2023
This prompted the SGPC chief to respond asking Mann why he used state money to fly a “helicopter to Delhi every day”. He was referring to allegations that Mann took orders from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for day-to-day running of the state.
.@BhagwantMann ਮੈਨੂੰ ਇਸ ਗੱਲ ਦਾ ਮਾਣ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਮੈਂ ਜੁਝਾਰੂ ਜਥੇਬੰਦੀ ਸ਼੍ਰੋਮਣੀ ਅਕਾਲੀ ਦਲ ਦਾ ਸਿਪਾਹੀ ਹਾਂ।ਤੁਸੀਂ ਐਨਾਂ ਡਰੇ ਹੋ ਕਿ ਤੁਹਾਨੂੰ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਵਿਕਾਸ ਦੀ ਥਾਂ ਪੰਥ ਦੇ ਸਿਪਾਹੀ ਦਾ ਫਿਕਰ ਜਿਆਦਾ ਹੈ।ਪਰ ਮੈਂ ਤੁਹਾਨੂੰ ਇਹ ਨਹੀਂ ਪੁੱਛਾਂਗਾ ਕਿ ਤੁਸੀਂ ਪੰਜਾਬੀਆਂ ਦੇ ਪੈਸੇ 'ਤੇ ਉੱਡਦੇ ਹੈਲੀਕਾਪਟਰ 'ਤੇ ਦਿੱਲੀ ਨੂੰ ਕਿਉਂ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਹੋ।
— Harjinder Singh Dhami (@SGPCPresident) June 25, 2023
Also Read: Punjab assembly passes law replacing governor with CM as chancellor of state universities
‘Mann not a complete Sikh’
Addressing the media after the general house meeting, SGPC president Dhami said that one member of the SGPC and SAD’s Amritsar in-charge will lead a protest jatha — or a march — from the Akal Takht each day until the amendment is withdrawn.
He also said that a delegation from SGPC will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and even President Droupadi Murmu over the issue.
Leading the general house proceedings Tuesday, Dhami accused Mann and his government of having scant regard for the Sikh religion, its principles and practices, even claiming that the CM was “not a complete Sikh” for not using the surname “Singh”.
In its resolution, SGPC demanded a public apology from Mann for interfering in gurdwara management, insulting Kes (unshorn hair) an important part of Sikh Kakar (five K’s ordained for the Khalsa) and hurting the dignity of Raagi Singhs (singers of hymns) of the Golden Temple.
The resolution came after speakers at the assembly suggested “panthic” action against the chief minister for allegedly mocking the beard every male Sikh is expected to sport as ordained by the 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh.
During his speech in the Punjab assembly, Mann allegedly made derogatory references to the tying and untying of the beard by “some” leaders. Although he took no names, it was speculated that he was referring to SAD’s Sukhbir Badal, who has been known to keep his both tied or loose at different public appearances.
Some members also sought action against Mann for his allegations that kirtans (singing of the sacred hymns) in the Golden Temple were sometimes paused to pay their respect to the Badal family.
Meanwhile, even while supporting the resolution, Bibi Jagir Kaur, a former cabinet minister and ex-president of SGPC who had broken ranks from the SAD last year, criticised the party leadership for “weakening” panthic institutions, saying that this had “emboldened” governments to interfere in their working.
Although she tried to move a resolution to end all kinds of political inference at the SGPC she was stopped from doing so on the ground that, according to the SGPC’s rules of procedure, only the president could move a resolution.
Meanwhile, other members who spoke after Kaur criticised her for having turned against a party which had honoured her with high positions — including a chance to “serve” as a cabinet minister.
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)
Also Read: After Bhagwant Mann’s ‘love letters’ jibe, Punjab governor says govt has become ‘laughing stock’