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Release on furlough of Gurmeet Ram Rahim by BJP government in Haryana at this juncture is questionable

 


Deras from Sacha Sauda to Damdami Taksal resurface in Punjab’s electoral discourse

 

Ground Zero

Jagtar Singh

 

The Sant Samaj led by the Damdami Taksal today extended support to the Shiromani Akali Dal at crucial juncture of the first ever 5-dimensional Assembly election in Punjab scheduled for February 20.

This election is critical because Punjab has historically been gate-way to the Indian sub-continent and in this election, the Aam Aadmi Party that is perceived to be an ‘outsider’ is making all out efforts to capture power as part of its pan-India design. For Arvind Kejriwal who is the chief minister of semi-state that is Delhi, Punjab is a stepping stone. For the first time the Punjab election is having such pan-India denominator.

The Sant Samaj that represents majority of the deras in Punjab  has come out with the support to the Akali Dal within two days of release on furlough of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh serving jail terms in Rohtak jail in Haryana in rape and murder cases. He is facing still more cases. This Sirsa based Dera Sacha Sauda has considerable following, especially among the weaker sections, in the Malwa belt of Punjab all along the Haryana border.

This Dera is associated with the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib at Bargari in 2015  when the Akali Dal-BJP alliance was in power in the state.  This sect had been in confrontation with the Sikhs since 2007 when Ram Rahim copied Tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh. This Dera remains ostracized from Akal Takht. The Akali Dal had been damaged due to Bargari sacrilege and the party still carries that baggage.

However, it is also a fact that despite Operation Bluestar ordered by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984, the Sikhs went back to the Congress.

It is in this context that Bargari factor would not play any significant role for the second time.

Every factor has its relevance in particular space and time.

It is the timing of the furlough of Ram Rahim that is important.

It may be mentioned here that his custodial interrogation by Punjab police in Bargari sacrilege case has not been allowed by the authorities concerned on the logic of threat to his security and the law and order situation. However, he has been allowed to leave the jail on furlough.

The BJP in in the field in Punjab for the first time in alliance with two fledgling formations that are Capt Amarinder Singh led Punjab Lok Congress and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa’s Sanyukt Akali Dal after break up the Shiromani Akali Dal over farm laws in 2020.

It is too well known to everybody that the BJP led alliance is not in any position to cross even double digit. The design of the BJP to sent out Sacha Sauda chief is intriguing in this context.

This is one influential dera that is known to intervene in every election in Punjab and Haryana and to some extent in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. It has a 45-member political wing for this purpose. At times, the support is candidate-linked. However, this dera had openly supported the Congress in Punjab in 2007 Assembly polls. Candidates from almost all the political parties used to visit Ram Rahim to seek his patronage.

The BJP, it seems, might be aiming at a bigger vote share and assert its position as part of its long term design in this state whose religio-political dynamics has always been dominated by the Sikh religio-political discourse. This is the first election that is somewhat different from this aspect.

It is clear that the Akali candidates would not be the favourites of the Sacha Sauda devotees and as such, the design might be to cut into AAP votes as this party has also support among the weaker sections. This section has also been moving towards the Congress after appointment of Charanjit Singh Channi as the chief minister who himself has humble origin.

The Sant Samaj support to the Akali Dal is crucial in this backdrop. The Damdami Taksal had earlier developed some differences with the Akali Dal dominated Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee then headed by Bibi Jagir Kaur. The irritants seem to have been sorted out going by the all out support to the Akali Dal.


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