Days after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-dominated Punjab Vidhan Sabha passed the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023, aimed at providing “free” telecast rights of gurbani from the Golden Temple, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Thursday urged the Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit to nullify the said Bill.
Leading a high-level delegation of SGPC — also known as Sikhs’ mini parliament, its president Harjinder Singh Dhami submitted a memorandum to the Governor which said that the interference made by the Punjab government, headed by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, in the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, and the provisions of the SGPC is unconstitutional, which should not be allowed.
“The Government is going beyond its jurisdiction and complicating the Sikh affairs. The Government has interfered in the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, by making an issue of Gurbani broadcast in the Legislative Assembly,” said SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami while talking to the media after meeting with the Governor.
Dhami said that this step is a direct violation of the Constitution as any amendment in the Sikh Gurdwara Act can be done only by the Central Government with the recommendations of the SGPC. Punjab Government has no right to interfere in the management of the SGPC, he added.
“The matter of Gurbani broadcast is completely administrative, which AAP government is using for its political interests. The aim of AAP-led state government is to weaken the SGPC, but the Sikh community will not allow this to happen,” said Dhami.
At the same time, SGPC chief said that the Governor has been explained in detail about the unconstitutional act of the State Government and he has assured that he will examine this bill as per the Constitution and will not allow any injustice to take place.
SGPC Chief Lashes Out at Mann over ‘Beard’ Remarks
Earlier in Amritsar, SGPC president HS Dhami lashed out at Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for his “tying and untying beard” remarks inside the Punjab Vidhan Sabha. At the same time, Dhami also came down heavily on AAP MLAs for not giving respect to the great gurus and saints while taking their names.
“AAP MLAs, who talk about taking gurbani to every house, cannot even take the names of saints and their disciples correctly. Their names are taken with respect in gurbani. But they speak as if they are reading a maths table,” said Dhami.
Also criticizing the Chief Minister for his comments in a clear reference to Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal’s beard, Dhami urged Mann to at least respect the position he is holding while making such comments.
Without taking Mann’s name, Dhami said that those who are talking about tying and untying of the beard are disrespecting the Sikh gurus. “He himself is not a devout Sikh. His beard has been trimmed. Though wearing a turban, there’s no hair under it,” he said.