Punjab Panchayats and Rural Development Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa today led a delegation of the Sikh leaders to Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh seeking his intervention to end monopoly on the live telecast of Gurbani from the Golden Temple and facilitate the availability of signal to all channels within the framework of the guidelines. He quoted the very universalism of Gurbani in support of his appeal.The delegation based the case on the logic that Gurbani was not a commodity and thus could not be traded as was the case now.The message of the Gurus articulated in Gurbani must be taken to every corner of the world free rather than making it a business.Mr Bajwa said after the meeting that the Jathedar said he was looking into the matter.It was pointed out that the monopoly rights given by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee for this purpose to a single TV channel PTC that is owned by the family of Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal violates the basic tenets and teachings of Gurbani that is for the entire humanity.
The delegation said the signal should be made available free of cost to every channel interested in spreading Gurbani after getting the undertaking on observing the laid down norms. The SGPC should make its own arrangements for distribution of the signal.Mr Bajwa pointed out that the proposal to set up a channel by the SGPC was more than two decades old but nothing had been done to take the same to the logical conclusion for the obvious reasons.He Bajwa referred to the appeal made to the SGPC in this regard through a unanimous resolution adopted by the Punjab Assembly on November 6, 2019. He said this was followed up by him with the submission made to the Akal Takht Jathedar on November 18.The delegation included SGPC members Kaka Sukhjit Singh Lohgarh, Mr Amrik Singh Shahpur, Mr Surjit Singh Tugalwal and Mr Jaswant singh Purain, Khalsa College Amritsar Governing Council and Chief Khalsa Dewan Member Mr Bhagwantpal Singh Sachar.