The Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which was recently passed by the Punjab Assembly, has stirred a political storm in the state with the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) demanding that the AAP-led government withdraw the controversial law. The Bill, passed by the Assembly on June 20, paves the way for free telecast of the Gurbani from the Golden Temple across platforms.

The SGPC and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have criticised the amended Act. SGPC Chief Harjinder Singh Dhami on Monday, June 26, alleged that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Aam Aadmi Party Chief Arvind Kejriwal are trying to impose their “anti-Sikh agenda” in the state. He warned that a state-wide protest will be launched if the controversial Act is not withdrawn.

Gurbani comprises the hymns in the holy book of the Sikhs, the Guru Granth Sahib.

What is the controversy over Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023?

The Punjab Assembly amended the Sikh Gurdwaras Act 1925 by inserting Section 125A for “live telecast of Gurbani free-of-cost.” The Part-1 of Section 125A makes the holy Gurbani from Harmandir Sahib available free of cost to all media houses, platforms, outlets and channels and whosever wishes to broadcast it anywhere in the world.

Additionally, Part-2 of Section 125A mandates that anyone broadcasting the holy Gurbani from Harmandir Sahib shall not run any advertisement at least 30 minutes prior to the start of Gurbani broadcast or 30 minutes after it.

It is worth noting that the exclusive telecast rights of Gurbani were with a private channel named PTC. Interestingly, former Punjab Deputy CM and SAD supremo Sukhbir Singh Badal owns some stakes in the PTC channel, according to reports.

The SGPC has warned that it will launch a state-wide stir if the controversial Act is not withdrawn by the Punjab government. On the other hand, SAD has accused the AAP-led Punjab government of brazenly interfering in the religious affairs of the Khalsa Panth.

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At a recent press conference in Amritsar, SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami said the Bill was “unconstitutional” and that Bhagwant Singh Mann’s government was meddling in the management of gurdwaras.

The Punjab government, on its part, has argued that the Bill will ensure that Gurbani reaches a wider audience. The AAP leaders in Punjab are claiming that widespread distribution of Gurbani is not possible if a single channel owns the rights for telecast.

(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)