Why politicians are afraid of the godmen in Punjab & Haryana
Punjab is in the grip of deras and babas once again. Flaunting their muscle and money power, these godmen seem to think that they are a law onto themselves protected by their devout followers, who are heavily armed, they continue to enjoy influence sometimes even from beyond the grave.
Ashutosh Maharaj, who was declared clinically dead on January 29 this year, is still giving the state government nightmares. The state government has been providing Z-plus security to is body since then, a cost running into crores of rupees to the exchequer. The body, which is currently in a state of deep freeze, is also being fought over by one Dilip Jha, who claims to be the godman’s son. Jha’s claims come just after the Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed the body to be cremated.
Maharaj’s death is just one of the issues through which deras are plaguing Punjab. In fact, law and order is a major problem as clashes between the Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan (DJJS), which was founded by Ashutosh Maharaj, and the Dera Sacha Sauda, led by Gurmeet Ram Rahim, are commonplace. Clashes between Dera followers and Sikhs are also commonplace but state governments still turns a blind eye to the problem.
State governments in fact has a soft corner for Deras, as they magnetise crores of followers, considered a potential vote bank by politicians. That’s why they adopt different yardsticks for different Babas, depending his clout. Almost all political leaders visit Deras for their blessings and the Babas create terror, especially during Ashutosh Maharaj was declared dead by doctors in January but continues to enjoy Z-category security. Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh with his followers. election time, as various parties try to woo them.
As a result of this, Deras also have a large say in Punjab and Haryana politics. In fact, the temporal head of the Akal Takht (Jathedar) Giani Gurbachan Singh had recently warned the Badals not to visit Gurmeet Ram Rahim in Sirsa. But it is not just politicians in Punjab, who seek the Dera’s influence. The Akali Dal's alliance partner BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi created a furore when they praised Gurmeet Ram Rahim at a rally in Sirsa. And conversely, when politicians lose, the deras are held responsible. When the Indian National Lok Dal was routed in the recent Haryana Assembly elections, senior leader Abhay Chautala openly announced a war against the Dera Sacha Sauda for its support to the BJP.
The Dera’s support was a big boost for the BJP, as it had been extending its support to the Congress, or the INLD in the 2009 Assembly polls. The Dera Sacha Sauda had made a similar announcement in 2007 in favour of the Congress. The Congress, had then lost the polls but the party won seats in constituencies that had a large concentration of Dera followers, showing their clout.
The godmen’s political roles and mass wealth have not come without a challenge. The standoff between Sant Rampal Maharaj’s followers and the police in Haryana was a telling indicator. Gurmeet Ram Rahim too is under a CBI probe. Charges against him include rape, murder and dressing himself in the attire similar to the one worn by the tenth Sikh guru Guru Gobind Singh, and distributing amrit to his followers. Victims who have come forward to testify allege that they were silenced by the Baba who had told them, that he had political links and that even chief ministers and ministers touch his feet.
The godman issue is clearly something that will plague Punjab politics for some time to come. It remains to be seen if politicians summon up the will to act against them or not.