SGPC Chief Tells Punjab Govt.: Withdraw Sikh Gurdwaras Bill or Face Uproar
Harjinder Singh Dhami, the head of the SGPC, issued a warning on Monday, saying that if the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023, was not withdrawn, an uprising would be started against the AAP-led Punjab government.
AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal’s “anti-Sikh thinking” is being implemented, according to Dhami, with the intention of “capturing” the SGPC. Dhami also criticised Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Dhami spoke during a Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) special general house session in opposition to the state government’s initiative to introduce the bill.
The Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which aims to provide free transmission of Gurbani from the Golden Temple, was approved by the Punjab Assembly on June 20.
Speaking to the SGPC members at this location, Dhami demanded that the Punjab government immediately rescind the Bill while also denouncing it.
After offering ‘ardas’ (prayer) at the Akal Takht, a morcha (agitation) would be launched against the state administration if it continues to meddle in Sikh affairs, he added. At that point, the state government will be held accountable. According to Dhami, the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925 may only be amended with the consent of two-thirds of the SGPC members.
The head of the SGPC said that neither the Punjab nor the Centre had the authority to change the legislation.
The SGPC chairman responded to Mann’s claim that Dhami was being dictated to by SAD leaders by saying he could not be dictated to.
Dhami attacked Mann, claiming that he just says what Kejriwal instructs him to.
“This is not how it is occurring. It is ‘Babu’ Kejriwal’s’ scheme, said Dhami, who was ostensibly alluding to the Bill.
On Sunday, Mann criticised the SGPC chairman for his meeting with SAD leaders and predicted that Dhami would declare that he had already “decided verdict” against the measure.
Jaswant Singh Prain, a member of the SGPC, requested that the SGPC make its deal with the PTC channel public.
Currently, PTC, a private station often associated with the Badal family, broadcasts Gurbani from the Sikh temple.
The Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, according to the SGPC, may only be modified by Parliament.
