Mann meddling in Sikh affairs: SGPC

Amritsar: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has condemned Punjab chief minister (CM) Bhagwant Singh Mann’s proposed amendment to the Sikh Gurdwaras Act of 1925 on the grounds that the change will threaten “the very essence of Sikhism and undermine the gurdwaras’ autonomy and democratic functioning”.At a press conference here on Monday, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said only the Indian government had the jurisdiction to amend the Sikh Gurdwaras Act and even that required going through parliamentary processes recommended by the SGPC’s general house. He accused Mann of attempting to politicise Sikh religious affairs to appease his Delhi masters and advised him to focus on developing Punjab instead of “acting as a subordinate to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal”. In a public address at Gurdaspur on Sunday, Union home minister Amit Shah had referred to Mann as “Kejriwal’s pilot, who flies him across the country”.Regarding the global broadcast of Gurbani from Sri Harmandar Sahib, Dhami clarified that it was already underway to the satisfaction of both native and foreign sangat, as no money was collected from them for this purpose. Without disclosing if the SGPC supported the telecasting company or received any payment from it, he claimed that the broadcasting deal with G-Next Media (PTC Channel) will expire in July and the SGPC’s sub-committee was working out future arrangements. He asked the CM if his proposal of amending the Sikh Gurdwaras Act wasn’t a direct interference in the religious affairs of Sikhs and wasn’t its purpose to take over the Gurbani-broadcasting rights in the state assembly despite lacking the authority.He said: “In the SGPC’s 103-year history, the governments that attempted to meddle in its affairs had to retreat ultimately.”