Amidst the raging controversy around the gurbani telecast rights, Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday passed the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023, making the telecast of gurbani from the Golden Temple “free of cost”, while ensuring that it is not commercialized in any manner.
 
The Bill, amending the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, will have a new section which entails that it would be the duty of the Board (referring to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee) to propagate the teachings of the Gurus by making “uninterrupted (without any on screen running advertisements or commercials or distortion) live feed (audio or audio as well as video) of holy gurbani from Sri Harmandir Sahib available free of cost to all media houses, outlets, platforms, channels etc, whoever wishes to broadcast it for broadcast anywhere (including all over the world)”.
 
At the same time, the amended Bill also has a clause that bars any channel from running any advertisement at least 30 minutes before and after the gurbani broadcast.
 
The Bill, tabled by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on the second day of the two-day special session, was passed by the House via voice vote amidst opposition from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and its ally Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and absence of Congress MLAs. The ruling party members welcomed the move by thumping the benches.
 
“The Bill aims at freeing the undue control of a particular family over the rights to telecast sacred gurbani. They claim that it is free…but the SGPC, under the influence of a family that controls its affairs, has given the exclusive rights, called as intellectual property rights, of telecasting the sacred gurbani to a channel owned by them…They are the content owner…,” said Mann questioning how these rights of gurbani, which is written by our great Gurus, can be owned by them or given to any channel.
 
Mann said that he himself was a humble Sikh who wanted the gurbani to be telecast on all channels, across the globe, and not be commercialized. “I do not want the rights for my channel or for my relatives’. We don’t do such things…The PTC owners, the Badals, should be happy that now they are getting it free…They will not have to pay anything now,” he said.
 
Lashing out at the PTC and SGPC for their claims that gurbani is being telecast free everywhere, Mann elaborated how these channels earn money. “Being from this field of arts, media, I know this…They do not need to telecast an advertisement. If you have to subscribe to PTC in the US, you have to take a package of 54 US dollars. That money is for one TV…Just imagine the total numbers of subscriptions,” he said.
 
Mann, while shedding light on another aspect, said that when people, all over, watch the gurbani telecast for two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening, “the channel’s TRP (target rating points) go up, and on the basis of TRP, these channels got advertisements…that is why, we have added a clause that there will be no ads by any channel 30 minutes before and after the gurbani telecast to ensure that it’s not commercialized”.
 
“And when I say that gurbani telecast should be free, they say Bhagwant Mann is meddling with Sikh affairs,” he said while making it clear that the Bill “is in no way interference in religious affairs, rather it is a simple step to ensure that Gurbani reaches every household”.
 
Hitting out at the allegations that the government was meddling in Sikh affairs when they had an elected body in the form of the SGPC, Mann said that no elections have taken place at the SGPC for the last 11 years and hence, they were non-democratic.
 
Adding further, Mann said that he had learnt that a channel, PTC Simran, will be given to SGPC saying that it is their channel. “I have got this information…This way, the telecast rights will remain with the PTC only…That’s why they are objecting to telecast on channel and not airing to radio…They don’t have problem with radio as they don’t own a radio channel,” he added.
 
Mann said that after July 21, when the PTC’s 11-year contract will come to an end, gurbani telecast will be free to air, it will be free. “I want the gurbani to be telecast on every channel. Why should anyone commercialize it? Can there be anyone who would sell gurbani, which is meant for all?” he said.
 
At the same time, the Chief Minister maintained that the State Government is fully competent to amend this Act as the Apex Court had already, through a judgment, ruled that this Act is not an interstate Act. “A single family has dominated in the affairs of the SGPC since long due to which an irreparable damage had been made to the Sikh panth. Playing a dirty game, this family tried to encash the religious sentiments of Sikhs by giving exclusive rights of telecast of Gurbani to their blue-eyed channel whereas no mention of word telecast or broadcast was there in the Act,” he added.
 
Earlier opening the discussions on the Bill, AAP MLA Budh Ram highlighted the importance of “mukh waak” saying that the same should be telecast across the globe. Giving a singular channel the rights for telecast makes widespread distribution impossible, he said.
 
Budh Ram said that the State Government did not intend to usurp anyone’s rights to telecast gurbani, but the crux of the amendment, under new section 125A, was to allow all channels free broadcast rights.
 
Another AAP MLA Ajit Pal Singh Kohli questioned how can one tie the gurbani in terms and conditions or tenders. Other than monopoly in the transport, cable, mining businesses, the previous government monopolized gurbani telecast.
 
Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal lashed out at the opposition, especially Akali Dal, for its allegations that the move is interference in the Sikhs’ religious affairs. “We are also as much Sikhs as you are…This is not any anti-Sikh decision,” said Dhaliwal.
 
SAD, BJP Opposed

Opposing the Bill, SAD MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali suggested that SGPC should run its own channel to broadcast gurbani, and telecast rights be given to all channels. Making it clear that he was in favour of free and widespread telecast of gurbani, Ayali, at the same time, maintained that the State Government should not interfere in the affairs of SGPC, which is an elected body.
 
Demanding withdrawal of the Bill, Ayali said: “Elections are held to this body of Sikhs which is alsi known as Sikhs’ mini parliament. It came into existence after lots of sacrifices and efforts…Elected representatives are SGPC members and any political party can contest SGPC elections. It was decided that no amendment should be brought to the Gurdwara Act without consulting the SGPC. Whatever amendments were taken up in 1953 and 1959, these were done by the Centre in consultation with SGPC, and after passing the same in the Parliament.”
 
He added that Government and SGPC should sit together and find a solution to this matter. “I do not suspect the intent of the government as we also want transparency but it would be a wrong precedent and the future governments will also muddle with Sikh affairs…Akal Takhat, SGPC and SAD are Sikh institutions and they need to be strengthened,” Ayali added.
 
Akal Takht Appeals to Govt, SGPC for Finding Amicable Solution

Akal Takht’s newly-appointed jathedar (head priest) Giani Raghbir Singh on Tuesday appealed to Punjab Government and the SGPC to find an amicable solution of the issue related to gurbani being telecast from Darbar Sahib.
 
Jathedar, in a video message, said: “The decisions being taken by the Punjab Government regarding the SGPC is creating confusion among the Sikhs. The matter of gurbani being telecast is related to ‘maryada’ of Sachkhand Sri Harmandar Sahib, though gurbani telecast is not ‘maryada’ itself. If we keep gurbani telecast open for all, the ‘maryada’ could not be followed…Punjab Government’s move of meddling into the affairs of the SGPC is very unfortunate. The government should not do it. Today, a resolution is being introduced in Punjab Vidhan Sabha. It will be a direct act of the Punjab Government to weaken the Sikh organizations.”
 
Highlighting the edict by Panj Singh Sahiban (five Sikh clergymen) issued to SGPC, the jathedar said that SGPC should try to implement it and submit a progress report of the work done in its compliance.
 
Rs 1 cr Reward If Govt Shows Any Consumer Paying for Subscription to Gurbani: G Next Media MD

Rabindra Narayan, the managing director and president of G Next Media Private Limited — that runs PTC TV channel having exclusive rights to telecast gurbani from the Golden Temple — on Tuesday tweeted claiming that all PTC Network channels are already designated as ‘free to air’ channels by the Central Government. At the same time, Narayan challenged the State Government while announcing a reward of Rs one crore if they show one consumer who had to pay fee to subscribe to gurbani across the country.
 
“GURBANI IS ALREADY FREE. All PTC Network channels are designated as FREE TO AIR channels by Government of India. No cable operator, DTH operator charges any money. It is also available for free on YouTube and Facebook. So how are they claiming to make Gurbani Free To Air? We challenge the whole cabinet to bring one single customer bill where anyone has had to pay to subscribe to Gurbani across the country!! REWARD ONE CRORE RUPEES!” tweeted Narayan.