Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday dared the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee (SGPC) to explain why it was eager to hand over the telecast rights of sacred gurbani from Sri Harmandir Sahib to only one channel instead of making it free to air. The Chief Minister asked the SGPC, known as Sikhs’ mini parliament, to clarify about the live broadcast of gurbani kirtan from the Golden Temple from July 24 onwards as its agreement with a media channel telecasting the Sikh religious hymn will end soon.
Notably, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led State Government and the SGPC are at loggerheads with one another over the issue of telecast rights of the gurbani kirtan from the Sikhs’ holiest shrine in Amritsar. While the SGPC maintained that the broadcast rights of the religious hymn should be reserved for the apex Sikh body only, the Chief Minister has sought its free telecast on all TV channels. Even the AAP-dominated Vidhan Sabha had also passed a Bill regarding the same.
“SGPC should clarify about live broadcast of gurbani from 24th July...All channels should be allowed to broadcast free of cost and free to air...If govt gets opportunity to serve, then we will make all arrangements within 24 hours,” Mann said in a tweet.
“Surprisingly, the SGPC is requesting only one private channel to continue broadcasting Holy gurbani...why not others??...Will they give the right of gurbani (broadcast) to one family again for an indefinite period of time through the channel?? There is a limit to greed...,” he added.
The Chief Minister unequivocally said that the message of sacred gurbani should be spread across the globe for cementing the ethos of universal brotherhood, communal harmony and peace.
Advocating free of cost and free-to-air telecast of gurbani for all channels to ensure its maximum reach, Mann said that if the SGPC is having any hiccups, “the State Government is ready to make arrangements for this sewa (service) within 24 hours”.
Earlier, Mann had offered to pay all expenses for Gurbani's telecast across channels free of cost.
The Chief Minister said that this is the need of the hour to disseminate the ‘Sarb Sanji Gurbani’ across the globe with an aim to spread the universal message of ‘Sarbat da Bhala’ (welfare of all). “It is strange that for long, only one channel has been given exclusive rights for the telecast of gurbani from Sri Darbar Sahib. These rights should be given free of cost to all the channels rather than confining it to a single channel,” he said.
“This endeavor will go a long way in offering an opportunity to the sangat (community) to listen to the blissful gurbani while sitting at their homes even abroad besides allowing the people to have a glimpse (darshan didar) of Sachkhand Sri Harmandar Sahib on their TV sets or other gadgets, said Mann.
Mann further offered that the State Government is ready to discharge the duty of bearing all the expenses for installing hi-tech equipment for the telecast of gurbani live from Sri Harmandir Sahib on all the channels. “The State Government is ready to bear the entire expenses for providing the latest infrastructure or technology in this regard at Sri Darbar Sahib, including latest cameras and broadcasting equipment to relay the gurbani kirtan through other channels,” he said.
However, the Chief Minister bemoaned that instead of ensuring free-to-air telecast of gurbani, the SGPC is trying to find way for again giving rights to same channel just to appease a powerful family. “It is strange that again the SGPC is on dirty move to favour the blue-eyed channel of the Badals. There seems to be no end to greed of the family and this channel,” he said.
Mann, the previous year, had also urged the SGPC, the apex religious body of the Sikhs, to allow the telecast of gurbani from Golden Temple on other channels as well.
SGPC, a few days back, had said that it will launch its own YouTube channel for the broadcast of gurbani from the Sikh shrine in Amritsar, besides rolling out a satellite channel.
Punjab Assembly on June 20 had passed the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which aimed at ensuring free-to-air telecast of Gurbani. The move came after the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government approved an amendment to the British-era Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925. However, the SGPC had vehemently opposed the amendment and accused the Punjab chief minister of interfering in its matters.
A few days ago, Mann had also urged Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit to sign the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023, aimed at ensuring free-to-air telecast of Gurbani from the Golden Temple in Amritsar. This was one of the four Bills passed during the June 20-21 session.
In his reply, Purohit said that he would take action on the Bills after the legality of the session held last month was first examined.
Notably, the SGPC's agreement with GNext Media (PTC channel), which is currently telecasting gurbani from the Sikh shrine, will expire on July 23. PTC, a private channel, is often linked to the Badal family. SGPC president Dhami had earlier also said that the body will seek a three-month extension for the PTC.
