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Last updated: June 23, 2023, at 23:40 IST
SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dami called the session to come to a unanimous resolution to counter the government’s move. (pic/pti file)
While introducing the legislation, the Mann government said that the broadcast of Qurbani from the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar should be free for all. Harmandir Sahib, since 1998, has been broadcasting Qurbani in the morning and evening. Broadcasting rights since 2007 have been with PTC Network, owned by the Badal family who run Akali Dal
Preparing for a confrontation with the Bhagwant Mann government over the amendment made in the Sikh Gurdwara Act of 1925, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) held a special session on Monday in Amritsar to develop a strategy to counter the Aam Aadmi Party’s move. .
A general council session will be held by the SGPC in the Teja Singh Samundri Hall to determine the next plan of action for the opposition to the amendment. The sessions of the General Council are usually held twice a year: once to elect a new president and the second to approve the annual budget. But this was described as a private session to discuss the implications of the government’s move to amend the law.
SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dami called the session to come to a unanimous resolution to counter the government’s move. While the SGPC is an independent religious body, the office holders are aligned with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
While introducing the legislation, the Mann government said that the broadcast of Qurbani from the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar should be free for all. Harmandir Sahib, since 1998, has been broadcasting Qurbani in the morning and evening. Broadcasting rights since 2007 have been with PTC Network, owned by the Badal family who run Akali Dal.
SGPC sources said that since there was a consensus in the committee that the move was “illegal”, a special session was held to develop a strategy on how to counter it. Among the options being explored is to challenge the move legally, but the committee wants and the session discussed all options before making the final call, and the sources said that the session may issue a resolution supporting SGPC’s move to have its own satellite channel.
A move is also underway to “stir up the people” to put pressure on the government to reverse its decision. Invitations have been sent out to 156 members and Panj Singh Sahibans (five high Sikh priests) to attend the meeting.
Last time, the SGPC held a meeting in March this year in the aftermath of the enactment by the Haryana government of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Administration (HSGM) Act 2014. The house then unanimously passed a resolution asking the Union government to repeal the law in Parliament by using its constitutional power.
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