Punjab Assembly passes AAP government's bill for free Gurbani telecast from Golden Temple

In a first, the Punjab Assembly has approved the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023, in which the Gurbani will be broadcasted from the Golden Temple in Amritsar for free. This development comes a day after the Punjab Cabinet approved a revision to the 1925 Sikh Gurdwaras Act, which was enacted during the British Empire, to secure the free-to-air transmission of Gurbani.

During the debate on the Bill, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that no channel should have exclusive rights to broadcast the holy Gurbani. He said former Akal Takht Jathedar Gian Harpreet Singh had last year directed the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to have its own channel, but it was not launched.

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Presently, Gurbani is broadcasted from the Sikh shrine by PTC, a private channel often linked to the Shiromani Akali Dal's Badal family. Mann further argued that many people who watch this channel abroad have to pay a hefty amount for its subscription.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Manpreet Ayali echoed similar thoughts when he said that Gurbani should be aired in a transparent way and that only one station should not own the exclusive rights. He suggested that the SGPC launch a channel of its own and grant rights. Ayali disagreed with the Bill, arguing that the government shouldn't become involved in SGPC concerns. "The SGPC is the apex religious body of the Sikhs and it is also called a 'mini parliament' of the Sikhs," he said. 

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"Anyone broadcasting holy Gurbani from Harmandir Sahib shall not run any advertisement at least 30 minutes prior to start of broadcast of Gurbani and 30 minutes after the broadcast of Gurbani is over," the Bill stated.

According to the statements of objects and reasons of the Bill, "Sri Guru Granth Sahib contains the Bani of Sikh Gurus and saints. It is highly desirable that teaching of the Gurus be propagated worldwide."

"Therefore, it is imperative that Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee should make Gurbani available free of cost to entire humanity and to ensure that the spread of Gurbani is not commercialised in any manner," it said.

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Meanwhile, Congress members staged a walkout protesting that there was no question hour or zero hour provision in the present session of the Assembly. On Monday, the BJP said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab was holding the two-day special assembly session to further its agenda and wasting taxpayers' money.