As the campaign for the Haryana Assembly election drew to a close, the BJP pulled a rabbit out of its hat in the form of support from the controversial Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda, which commands a huge following in at least six districts.
On Sunday, as the results of the party’s victory poured in, many attributed part of the success to the last-minute push by the Dera, whose head is, at present, being tried for murder and rape.
Many of the BJP’s political opponents are talking of a “secret deal” between the two. The Dera, which claims to have a six-million-strong following in North India, commands influence among the backward and Scheduled Caste communities, and for the past few years, has been dabbling in the politics of Punjab and Haryana through its political wing.
D.R. Chaudhary, academic and political observer, says: “The open support of the Dera has directly influenced results in five or six constituencies. Almost overnight, its followers mobilised in favour of the BJP with fanatic zeal and scores of them volunteered as polling agents for the party.”
Modi’s praise
Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded Dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s cleanliness campaign at a public meting in Sirsa. Forty BJP candidates were taken by the election in-charge, Kailash Vijayvargiya, to seek Mr. Rahim’s blessings. 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.
Yogendra Yadav, Aam Aadmi Party leader, said: “The support from the Dera appears to be the outcome of a secret deal between the religious institution and the BJP. It is common knowledge that the head of the Dera is being tried for serious criminal offences.”
The Dera’s following in the districts of Jind, Fatehabad, Kaithal, Hissar, Sirsa and Tohana is believed to have helped the BJP candidates in those districts. In the past, the Dera has been wooed by political parties of both Punjab and Haryana. In Haryana, this is the first time that the Dera has openly supported any party.
