Days after YouTube pulled down Kanwar Grewal’s latest song ‘Rihai’, the Shiromani Akali Dal’s (SAD) youth wing named Youth Akali Dal, has decided to organize a tractor march on July 15, Friday. The march is scheduled to be as a protest against the Centre’s ban on two Punjabi songs, one by Kanwar Grewal and another by deceased singer Sidhu Moosewala.
According to a report by The Tribune, YouTube had received a complaint against Kanwar Grewal’s song ‘Rihai’, which demands that the Sikh prisoners be freed. The song by Grewal was uploaded on July 2 but is unavailable now. YAD president Parambans Romana declaring the protest march on July 12 alleged that the Government of India was trying to suppress the voices of Punjabi Singers.
“Akali Dal in views the ban on Sidhu Moosewala’s SYL song and Kanwar Grewal’s Rihai song as an attempt by GOI to suppress the voice and sentiment of Punjabis. In protest against and defiance of this ban YAD will take out a tractor march playing these songs in all Districts on the 15th”, he tweeted.
@Akali_Dal_ views the ban on #SidhuMoosewalaSYL and #KanwarGrewalRihai as an attempt by GOI to suppress the voice and sentiment of Punjabis.
— Parambans Singh Romana (@ParambansRomana) July 12, 2022
In protest against and in defiance of this ban YAD will take out a tractor march playing these songs in all Distt’s on the 15th pic.twitter.com/cat0gqJ5oi
Reportedly, the Akali Dal had earlier expressed anguish over the Centre’s decision to ban two songs. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal, reacting to the ban demanded to lift the ban on the songs and said that ‘such bans are not in the interest of healthy democracy’.
“Shiromani Akali Dal appeals to GOI to lift the ban on Kanwar Grewal’s song – Rihai keeping in view citizens’ right to freedom of speech and expression as well as sentiments of the Sikh community”, Badal had tweeted. Further, the Akali Dal core committee led by Badal had also issued an official statement claiming that there was nothing objectionable in either the SYL song sung by the late Sidhu Moosewala or the Rihai song sung by Kanwar Grewal.
Shiromani Akali Dal appeals to GOI to lift the ban on Kanwar Grewal’s song – #Rihai keeping in view citizens’ right to freedom of speech & expression as well as sentiments of the Sikh community. Such bans are not in the interest of a healthy democracy. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/iyjWdlwnhI
— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) July 8, 2022
“The core committee expresses grave concern at how freedom of speech and expression is being throttled by banning songs which solely express the sentiments of the people. There is nothing objectionable in either of the songs that have been banned by the Centre”, the statement read.
Deceased Singer Sidhu Moosewala’s song named SYL was banned after YouTube received a complaint from the government. However, the platform failed to clarify whether the legal complaint was made by the AAP government or PM Modi-led central government.
The song SYL was released posthumously on YouTube on June 23 and the latest song named Rihai was released on July 2. Both the songs are unavailable on YouTube after the ban has been executed. Reportedly, the Akali Dal Youth Wing will carry out the protest march against the ban and will play both songs in all the districts across the state.
