Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s statement that the government would tweak the Gurdwara Act, 1925 to free the rights of telecast of the Gurbani from the Golden Temple in Amritsar has triggered fierce criticism from Opposition parties. The rights for the telecast currently reside exclusively with Sukhbir Singh Badal-owned Punjabi television network PTC.

On Sunday, Mann tweeted the announcement ahead of a special session of the Punjab Assembly to be convened on Monday, and said that the government will introduce an amendment to the Gurdwara Act, 1925 to free the Gurbani telecast from the Golden Temple. According to The Indian Express, the amendment will first be brought to the Cabinet on Monday and subsequently be moved in the Assembly on Tuesday.

How has the Akali Dal responded?

The proposed move by the Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab has come under fire from the Shirmani Akali Dal which has termed the decision as a direct “government attack” on the Khalsa Panth and Sikh gurdwaras. “The announcement made by Bhagwant Mann relating to the telecast of Gurbani is not merely a direct attack on gurdwaras of Khalsa Panth, but on Sikh community also,” tweeted SAD president Sukhbir Badal.

“This abominable decision is the first dangerous step towards the government taking over the custody of Gurdhams by taking away the right to preach Gurbani from the Sikh Sangat. This decision has brought to mind the repression of the Mughals, the British and Indira Gandhi on Sri Harmandir Sahib, but the Khalsa Panth will give a befitting response,” he added.

Congress divided in opinion?

The Congress party in Punjab, however, appeared to be speaking in two voices over the issue. While former Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu hailed Mann for the move, the party’s Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira hit out at the AAP government, terming it a “sad day” for Sikhs.

“Sarb Sanjhi Gurbaani” … means for one and all with no discrimination … this was a cherished desire of millions of Sikhs across the globe including me… commendable effort @BhagwantMann … Kudos!!,” Sidhu tweeted Sunday, tagging a news clip from 2017 where he had demanded that the live telecast rights of Gurbani should be given to all TV channels and not one particular channel.

However, Khaira put out a tweet on Monday condemning the decision. “What a sad day for Sikhs as a government of @BhagwantMann consisting of no Amritdhari Sikh (Baptized) and run from Delhi by leaders like @ArvindKejriwal who himself claims to be an ardent follower of RSS ideology will now decide the fate of a martial community of Sikhs and their religious affairs (Sikh Gurudwara Act 1925) that our forefathers achieved after immense bloodshed and glorious sacrifices! I hope sense prevails on this breed of fake revolutionaries!” he said.

Govt interfering in Sikh religious affairs: BJP’s Sunil Jakhar

The Bharatiya Janata Party, which shared power with the Akalis in Punjab not too long ago, sought to strike a balanced approach to the issue. BJP’s Sunil Jakhar warned Mann that gurdwaras are meant to pay obeisance and not pick confrontations.

“I am of the view that there should not be monopoly over telecast of Gurbani, but it is highly condemnable the way you are interfering in Sikh religious affairs to settle political scores and I strongly oppose the move to amend Gurdwara Act (Which is not even in the domain of State’s right),” he said.

SGPC sees red over CM Mann’s move

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami sought to remind the Chief Minister that the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925, is a central Act that the state government could not amend. He said that the amendment could only be brought in by the Centre in the Lok Sabha after consulting the SGPC, which is an elected body of the Sikhs.

Dhami added that the telecast of the Gurbani is not an ordinary one, and advised the CM not to mislead the people as it is sacrosanct.

Calls to end monopoly not new

The proposed decision by the Mann government is in line with the AAP’s earlier stand when it questioned the monopoly of one channel over the telecast of the Gurbani. In May this year, CM Mann had said that the state government was ready to bear all the expenditure to install high-end techniques so that Gurbani can be telecast on all channels, free of cost.

The Chief Minister had also said that this endeavour would go a long way in offering an opportunity to the Sangat to listen to the Gurbani while sitting at their homes even abroad. Likewise, he said that it will also allow the people to have a glimpse (darshan didar) of Harmandar Sahib on their TVs or other gadgets.

Notably, the issue of telecast of the Gurbani was first raised by the former Congress government in the state led by Amarinder Singh in the state Assembly. In November 2019, the Assembly had passed a resolution during a special session to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, appealing to the president of SGPC to free the telecast.