Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday said the SGPC should clarify about the live broadcast of 'Gurbani' from Golden Temple from July 24 onwards as its agreement with a media channel telecasting the Sikh religious hymn is about to end.
The AAP-led state government and the SGPC have locked horns over the live broadcast of Gurbani from the Sikh shrine in Amritsar. While the SGPC asserts that the broadcast rights of the religious hymn should be reserved for the apex Sikh body only, Mann has sought its free telecast on all TV channels.
"SGPC should clarify about the live broadcast of Gurbani from 24th July...All channels should be allowed to broadcast free of cost and free to air...If govt gets opportunity to serve, then we will make all arrangements within 24 hours," Mann said in a tweet.
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The SGPC's agreement with GNext Media (PTC channel), which is currently telecasting Gurbani from the Sikh shrine, will expire on July 23. PTC, a private channel, is often linked to the Badal family.
On Friday, the SGPC appealed to the management of the GNext Media (PTC channel) to continue Gurbani broadcast from Sri Harmandar Sahib (Golden Temple) until the Sikh body's own satellite channel is established.
It said it was making the request "in view of the sentiments of the Sikh community and the order given by Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib".
Mann targeted the the SGPC, saying it is requesting only one private channel to continue broadcasting Gurbani.
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"Why not others?", he asked.
"Will they give the right of Gurbani (broadcast) to one family again for an indefinite period of time through the channel?? There is a limit to greed...," he said in a tweet.
In a statement issued in the evening , Mann asked the SGPC to explain why it was eager to hand over the telecast rights of Gurbani to only one channel.
"Instead of ensuring free to air telecast of Gurbani, the SGPC is trying to find a way for again giving rights to same channel just to appease a powerful family. It is strange that again the SGPC is on a dirty move to favour the blue-eyed channel of the Badals," he said.
Mann said the message of the sacred Gurbani should be spread across the globe for cementing the ethos of universal brotherhood, communal harmony and peace, advocating free of cost and free to air its telecast for all channels for maximum reach.
This is the need of the hour to disseminate the 'Sarb Sanji Gurbani’ across the globe with an aim to spread the universal message of ‘Sarbat da Bhala' (welfare of all), he added.
It is strange that since long only one channel has been given exclusive rights for the telecast of Gurbani from Darbar Sahib, said Mann in the statement.
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He reiterated that the state government was ready to discharge the duty of bearing all the expenses for installing hi-tech equipment for the telecast of Gurbani live from Golden Temple on all the channels.
A few days ago, the SGPC had said it would launch its own YouTube channel for the broadcast of Gurbani from the Sikh shrine in Amritsar. It had said it will also roll out a satellite channel.
On Friday, SGPC general secretary Gurcharan Singh Grewal said the agreement with the PTC channel is expiring on July 23.
"The SGPC will start sewa (service) of Gurbani broadcast on its YouTube/web channel from July 24, but on demand of the Sangat (Sikh community) from across the world, the Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib has ordered the SGPC to continue broadcasting service through the channel until it establishes its own," Grewal said in a statement in Amritsar .
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In view of this and in consultation with SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami, PTC has been asked to continue Gurbani broadcast service, he said.
Grewal said besides establishing the web channel, the SGPC is making great efforts to establish its own satellite channel soon.
He said regarding the satellite channel, a letter has been written to the Union minister of Information and Broadcasting seeking an appointment with him to meet a delegation of SGPC so that the process can be initiated.
He said the SGPC will start the Gurbani broadcast from Amrit Vela (pious time in the early morning) on July 24 through its YouTube/web channel, regarding which the bhog (concluding ceremony) of Sri Akhand Path Sahib (uninterrupted recitation of Guru Granth Sahib) will be held on July 23.
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The Punjab Assembly on June 20 had passed the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which aimed at ensuring free-to-air telecast of Gurbani. The move came after the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government approved an amendment to the British-era Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925.
However, the SGPC vehemently opposed the amendment and accused the Punjab chief minister of interfering in its matters.
Mann had a few days ago urged Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit to sign the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023, aimed at ensuring free-to-air telecast of Gurbani from the Golden Temple in Amritsar. This was one of the four Bills passed during the June 20-21 session.
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Replying to Mann's letter, Purohit said he will take action on the Bills after the legality of the session held last month was first examined.
SGPC chief Dhami had earlier said all the rights of Gurbani broadcast will be reserved with the SGPC only and no channel, YouTube, website, or social media platform will be able to broadcast the religious hymn at its own will.
