Amritsar, June 19 : The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), President Harjinder Singh Dhami strongly condemned the announcement made by Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Singh Mann about adding a new clause in the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925.
Talking to the media at the SGPC office, Dhami made it clear to the CM that any amendment in the Sikh Gurdwaras Act 1925 can only be done by the Government of India through the Parliament of the country as per the recommendations of the General House of the SGPC.
He said that Bhagwant Singh Mann wants to please his masters in Delhi by giving a political color to the religious affairs of the Sikhs. Such thinking of CM Mann is a big attack on the Sikh organization. He said that Bhagwant Singh Mann should talk about the development of the state as the CM of Punjab instead of being the Subedar of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.
Clarifying about the broadcast of Gurbani from Sachkhand Sri Harmandar Sahib, the SGPC President said that the worldwide broadcast of Gurbani is already going on, with which the Sangat (community) of the country and abroad are satisfied and no money is taken from the Sangat. He also said that after the rights of Gurbani broadcast with G-Next Media (PTC Channel) are over in the month of July this year, the SGPC sub-committee on this subject is working in this regard for the next arrangement, the meaningful results of which will be out soon.
Dhami questioned Punjab CM to tell if his announcement to amend the Sikh Gurdwaras Act 1925 is not a direct interference in the religious affairs of the Sikhs?
He asked Punjab CM that instead of misleading the Sangat in the matter of Gurbani broadcast, he should pay attention to the maintenance, and cleanliness of the roads and surroundings of Sri Darbar Sahib and increase the facilities of the Sangat, which is work of the government.
He said that Aam Aadmi Party’s Punjab government is directly interfering in the religious affairs of the Sikhs for its political interests and is taking the matter of Gurbani broadcasting without jurisdiction to the state assembly, while the state government of Punjab has no right of making amendment in the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925.
Dhami said that a petition was filed against the SGPC by an organization called Guru Nanak Dev Universal Brotherhood Society in the Punjab and Haryana High Court regarding the issue of Gurbani broadcast, which was dismissed by the honorable court considering the SGPC as a competent organization.
He said that earlier also a resolution was passed in the legislative assembly of Punjab regarding the rights to broadcast Gurbani and now again, Bhagwant Singh Maan is doing this act.
The SGPC President said that in the 103-year history of the organization, many governments have come and gone, and those who interfered in the work of the organization had backed off.
He asked Bhagwant Singh Mann to refrain from complicating the religious affairs of the Sikhs. He said the Sikh community would never tolerate such direct interference. He also thanked the leaders who rose above party ideologies against this thinking of Bhagwant Singh Mann.
