Chandigarh: The Bhagwant Mann authorities in Punjab Tuesday succeeded in getting a controversial modification to the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, handed within the meeting. The modification permits a number of channels to relay the Gurbani from the Golden Temple — one thing at the moment achieved by just one channel.
In getting the modification handed, the state authorities defied the jathedar of the Akal Takht, the best temporal physique of the Sikhs. On Monday, the jathedar had requested the federal government to desist from any transfer that might be seen as an try to dilute the authority of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).
The SGPC is a physique created beneath the 1925 Act that controls and manages historic gurdwaras in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. The Akal Takht jathedar had additionally referred to as for a “calm” dialogue on the problem between the state authorities and the SGPC.
The modification was handed with the Aam Aadmi Social gathering (AAP) MLAs current within the Home voting in its favour, whereas these of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) opposed it. The Congress MLAs had walked out of the meeting Tuesday — firstly of the second day of the particular session — and determined to boycott the remainder of the session.
With 92 members within the 117-seat meeting, the AAP has a brute majority in the home.
The Mann authorities has justified the transfer as a bid to make sure the lots have entry to the Gurbani from Golden Temple.
Talking within the Punjab meeting, Mann stated the relay of the Gurbani from the Golden Temple ought to be out there on each channel or supply that wished to air it.
The SGPC, nonetheless, has stated the modification quantities to interference of the federal government within the spiritual affairs of the Sikhs.
PTC, the channel airing the Gurbani, has weighed in too, with channel head Rabindra Narayan difficult the CM to show that any of the PTC channels required customers to pay cash to tune in.
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‘Gurbani for each family’
The SGPC has claimed that the relay of the Gurbani from the Golden Temple needs to be achieved in a managed setting to make sure that the “maryada” — or the code of conduct — is just not violated by the channel transmitting it.
The SGPC has additionally stated that after the 11-year contract of PTC ends subsequent month, it’ll float a worldwide tender to decide on one other channel to relay the Gurbani.
On Monday morning, forward of the meeting session, the jathedar of the Akal Takht, Giani Raghbir Singh, issued instructions to the Punjab authorities to desist from taking any step that might trigger confusion among the many Sikh lots over the problem.
He additionally directed the SGPC to submit a report back to the Akal Takht concerning the steps it had taken to make sure that the Gurbani is accessible to the Sikh lots with protecting in thoughts the maryada. He appealed to each the Punjab authorities and the SGPC to debate the problem calmly and with a constructive angle in direction of each other.
Nevertheless, Punjab Chief Minister Mann, whereas talking on the ground of the Vidhan Sabha, launched a scathing assault on the SGPC for permitting undue management of a specific household over the rights to telecast the sacred Gurbani.
He additionally hit out at Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal for “utilizing faith to garner votes”.
Mann claimed that the modification is under no circumstances interference in spiritual affairs. Somewhat, he stated, it’s a easy step to make sure that Gurbani reaches each family.
Mann stated he was a humble Sikh himself and needed free-to-air telecast of the Gurbani throughout the globe.
In the meantime, PTC head Narayan stated in a video message that each one the PTC channels had been enlisted as free-to-air channels by the Authorities of India.
He stated that viewers of PTC channels had by no means paid even a single rupee to observe any of the channels supplied by their group. The CM, he added, had misled the general public into believing that PTC garnered crores by giving commercials earlier than and after the relay of the Gurbani, which he stated was not true.
(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)
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