Sanmeet Singh Thind/ChandigarhOne hour ago
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Political excitement has started in Punjab after Dera chief Gurmeet Singh Ram Rahim was granted a 21-day furlough from Rohtak’s Sunaria jail. The Sangat of Punjab associated with the Dera has started seeking opinion from the 45-member committee for the assembly elections. Dera committee officials have asked the sangat to wait for two days.
A senior official of the Dera in Punjab said that after the Dera Sacha Sauda chief came out, the sangat is seeking opinion on casting votes over the phone. The Dera committee official said that in the coming two days, he would start taking the opinion of the sangat.
The Dera official said that the Sangat is deeply saddened after the names of Dera lovers came to the fore in the sacrilege in Punjab. Considering it a political conspiracy. The Dera chief has no involvement in politics. His aim is social service and devotion. Dera chief’s coming out on furlough has nothing to do with opinion polls.
Wing Incharge said – no decision has been taken yet
Ram Singh, in-charge of the political wing of Dera Sacha Sauda, says that no decision has been taken regarding the assembly elections yet. As soon as a decision is taken, everyone will be informed about it. Let us inform that the names of Dera lovers have come to the fore in the sacrilege incident and Mod Mandi blast in Punjab. In the sacrilege case, the SIT has questioned Dera chief in Rohtak Sunaria jail and PR Nain, Dera manager in Sirsa.
Dera chief went to jail on 25 August 2017
The Dera Sacha Sauda chief was sentenced to 20 years in the Sadhvi sexual abuse case on 25 August 2017. Since then till now the Dera chief is lodged in the jail. After this, the Dera chief has also been convicted in the journalist Chhatrapati murder case and Ranjit murder case. Earlier, the Dera chief had got one day’s parole to visit the ailing mother.
Dera’s participation in these elections
Dera Sacha Sauda was interfering in the 2007, 2012 and 2017 assembly elections in Punjab. Apart from this, Dera had openly supported the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections of 2014 and Haryana Assembly elections in October 2014. The Dera chief himself extended his support in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections by praising the PM’s Swachh Bharat Mission.
Earlier, Captain Amarinder Singh, the current Chief Minister of Punjab, had gone to the camp in the 2012 assembly elections. After this, former CM Parkash Singh Badal, Sukhbir Singh Badal and many big leaders of Punjab have gone to the dera to pay their respects from time to time.
Political wing formed in 2006-07, 45 member committee
In the year 2006-07, a political wing was formed for the first time by Dera Sacha Sauda. A separate wing was created for each state. In this, trusted people of the Dera chief were included. For the first time in the 2007 Punjab elections, the political wing of the Dera directly supported the Congress. Despite supporting Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government was formed in Punjab in 2007. It was only after this that differences arose between the Dera and the Shiromani Akali Dal.
In Punjab’s Bathinda, the Dera chief was accused of impersonating Guru Gobind Singh and drinking nectar. Sikhs protested across the country. A case was also registered against the Dera chief. In the 2012 elections, the Shiromani Akali Dal got 33 seats in the Malwa belt. In the year 2012 also, Dera supported the Congress. In the 2017 assembly elections, the Dera supported the Akali Dal in some seats and the Congress in some seats.
Impact on the seats in these districts
Firozpur, Moga, Fazilka, Abohar, Faridkot, Muktsar Sahib, Bathinda, Patiala, Ludhiana, Mansa, Sangrur, Barnala, Malerkotla, Fatehgarh Sahib districts of Punjab are included in the Malwa belt. There are 69 assembly constituencies in the Malwa belt, where the influence of the dera was believed. Over time, the dera formed its own 45-member committee in each state.
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