AMRITSAR: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee has condemned chief minister (CM) Bhagwant Singh Mann's proposed amendment to the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925 stating that the same threatens the very essence of Sikhism and undermines the autonomy and democratic functioning of gurdwaras.
In a hurriedly convened press conference on Monday, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said that any amendment to the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, could only be carried out by the Government of India through parliamentary processes, as recommended by the General House of the SGPC.
He firmly asserted that Mann's alleged attempt to politicize Sikh religious affairs to appease his Delhi masters was a blatant attack on the Sikh organization.
While admonishing Mann, he asked him to prioritize the development of Punjab as its CM rather than acting as a subordinate to Delhi's CM Arvind Kejriwal. "Such thinking is detrimental and undermines the integrity of the Sikh community", he said.
Notably, the Union home minister Amit Shah, in his public address at Gurdaspur on Sunday had referred to CM Bhagwant Mann as Kejriwal's pilot, who flies him across the country.
Regarding the broadcast of gurbani from Sri Harmandar Sahib, Dhami clarified that the global broadcast of gurbani was already underway, satisfying the sangat both within the country and abroad. He said that no money was collected from the sangat for this purpose.
However, he did not disclose whether the SGPC provides or receives any funds from the company responsible for telecasting gurbani .
He further stated that once the broadcasting rights with G-Next Media (PTC Channel) expire in July of this year, the SGPC sub-committee was actively working on future arrangements adding that meaningful updates regarding this matter would be announced in the near future.
Dhami challenged Punjab CM's announcement to amend the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, questioning if it constitutes direct interference in Sikh religious affairs. He also accused the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Punjab government of politicizing Sikh religious matters and attempting to take jurisdiction over gurbani broadcasting in the state assembly, despite lacking the authority to amend the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925.
He reflected on the 103-year history of the organization, highlighting that numerous governments have come and gone, and those who attempted to interfere in its affairs ultimately retreated.
He asked Mann to avoid complicating Sikh religious matters and emphasized that the Sikh community would not tolerate such direct interference.
