From Religion to Politics: How Dera Sirsa Chief yields power in Punjab

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Last week in Punjab was a scene of the politico-religious events. The release of a film on a sect chief and the protests linked to it, an apology by a self-styled godman and the pardon to him by the Sikh clergy drawing the ire of Sikhs worldwide.

A day after the Akal Takht, the supreme temporal seat of Sikhs, pardoned Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Raheem Singh, “Messenger of God” (MSG 2), featuring the Dera head hit screens across Punjab.

The events of the past week seemed to be scripted no less than a bollywood movie script. It could not have been a sheer coincidence that everything, which was against him for over eight years, fell into place for the godman within seven days.

Several lives were lost across Punjab in May-July 2007 when violent clashes between the Sikh community and Dera Sacha Sauda sect followers broke out after he set off a controversy by dressing like tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh ji.

Criminal cases were registered against him and the Sikh clergy, led by the Akal Takht, ordered social boycott of the godman and his sect. The government of the day in Punjab, which is the same even now, too went after the sect chief and his followers with all its might.

The Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government led by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, which had banned the release of the godman’s first film ‘MSG’ in January this year, this time did not issue any such official ban when the sequel was released across the country.

Citing law and order issues and apprehension of a backlash from Sikh community, cinema hall and multiplex owners refused to screen ‘MSG-2’.

The ‘unofficial ban‘ led to protests from sect followers for nearly three days. They blocked railway tracks and roads. Even as the common man had to suffer, the Badal government chose to look the other way.

Within the next three days, in a quick chain of events, the sect chief sent his apology to the Akal Takht for his action of May 2007.

The Sikh clergy met and decided to pardon him with immediate effect. The Akal Takht even dispensed with the normal practice and diktat of making the religious offender appear before it at the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar and handing down punishment.

The obvious reason, for those who matter in Punjab’s religious affairs and politics, is that Punjab’s assembly polls are about 18 months away.

With the sect chief openly supporting the BJP in last year’s assembly polls in Haryana and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) catching the fancy of people, especially youth, in Punjab, the Akali Dal leadership surely has something to be worried about.

No election in Punjab is complete without Dera Sirsa sect, which is headquartered near Sirsa town in neighbouring Haryana, influencing it with the sheer strength of votes of its followers. They run into several lakhs in the state. Be it the Akali Dal, Congress or the BJP, everyone lines up to seek blessings of the sect chief.

Notably, the Dera supported Capt. Amarinder Singh of the Congress in the 2007 Punjab Assembly election. Though the Congress lost the election, the party did well in the Dera-dominated areas of Punjab.

It is clear that the Akali Dal leadership did not want to end up on the wrong side as far as the sect’s political influence is concerned.

Hence, all the political and religious drama that was enacted in the past week.

In politics, not everything can be left in the hands of the electorate or god. God-men matter a lot too!

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5 COMMENTS

  1. First of all no sikh is angered after the pardon by Sri Akal Takht Sahib ( not Akal takhth, learn to give respect to your higher seat). I belong to Sri Ganganagar City and the Ek noor khalsa fauz of our city and SGPC of Delhi, welcome the decision and many other sects too. And beside that it was not that just 2 Sikhs lost their lives, rather your many Sikh Sangathan pressured many dera followers so much that they committed suicides, did Guru Gobind Singh Ji said any sikh ever that obsess anyone so much that he commit suicide, Dera followers were forced not to entered in Gurudwaras, taking beeds, orgznizing akhand path and breaking all limit of shame and humanity, many were not even not allowed to entered Funeral Grounds for funeral, just because they were dera follower, so shameless, should anyone has the right to do so with any human that stopping him from following his religious rituals, just because of hatered, Where written in Gurbani that hate any God’s Child that even on the name of God.

  2. You are a fucking bandhar. Why do you need to pervert the Sikh faith with these Dere Walle? Fuck off and become a Moslem or Christian. Your Dera has nothing to do with Sikhism. Dere Walle babe thwade burria magar ya. Te tussi bevakoof aavdia theevia te pehna tho ehna kanjara nu metha tekwonde ya!! Va! Va! Shabaash!! Dob ke marjo, kanjero!!

  3. Teri language batati hai tu kitna bada guru ka sikh hai, aur konse guru ka sikh hai… rahi baat matha tekne ki dere mein kabhi bhi matha nahi tikwaya jata… tumhare jaise log bina jaane aur samjhe kuch bhi bolte hain aur tum jaise logon ki wajah se hi log sikh dharam ko chodte hain.. jahan sikhon se jaati ke base pe bhed bhaav kia jata hai..koi jatt sikh..koi majbhi sikh koi kabir panthi sikh…

  4. aur jis muslmaan ko tu bura manta hai aur kahta hai..ki ja tu muslim ban ja.. nadan insan tumhari khud ki gurbani ‘ALAAH’ ke naam se shuru hoti hai..”Awal Alaah Noor Upaya.. Kudrat ke sab Bande, Ek Noor Te Sab Jag Upjya kon Bhale Kon Mande”.. ye to Tu GuruNanak Dev Ji se puch unhone kyu Allah Shabad ka use..Gurbani Ke Pahle shabad ke liye kia..Agar muslmaan itne hi bure hain to.

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