As the election to the 2022 Punjab Assembly draws closer, politicians cutting across party lines are making a beeline for the different Deras in the State, yet again bringing their importance to the centre stage.
In the recent days, several leaders of all key political parties have been visiting the Deras to seek ‘blessings’ and garner support and vote of the followers. Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi visited Dera Sachkhand at Ballan village in Jalandhar. Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal, Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal and Bharatiya Janata Party’s Punjab in-charge Gajendra Singh Shekhawat also paid a visit.
In Punjab, there are six major ‘Deras’ – Radha Soami, Namdhari, Dera Sacha Sauda, Nurmahal, Nirankari and Dera Sachkhand Balan. They draw their discourses from multiple traditions such as Islam, Sufism, Kabir Panth, Christianity, Sikhism, etc. and couch them in regional dialects, myths and symbols.
“Together, these Deras have influence in at least 56 of the 117 Assembly constituencies – Radha Soami in 19, Dera Sacha Sauda in 27, Dera Nurmahal in eight, Dera Nirankari in four, Dera Ballan in eight, and Dera Namdhari in two. Not all the Deras actively engage in politics. However, Dera Sacha Sauda came into prominence in the 2007 Assembly election when it openly supported the Congress. As a consequence, the Akalis suffered losses in at least 21 constituencies. In the subsequent elections in 2012, they supported the Akali Dal, when the SAD-BJP alliance won. All the political parties try to out-compete each other to woo Deras,” said Pramod Kumar, director of the Institute for Development and Communication.
Deras are, broadly speaking, 'counter public' of the dominant socio-spiritual spaces, particulalry for the marginalised sections of society and have been integral to Punjab’s social set-up. Since their very inception, these Deras have played a significant role in the religious and cultural domain of the Punjabi society and their reach into its political realm continues to baffle political pundits, given their thick spread over all three geographical regions of Majha, Malwa and Doaba.
Pointing out that these Deras refute caste and creed differentiations and present a new algorithm in the complex grammar of the State’s electoral politics, Ronki Ram, Shaheed Bhaghat Singh Chair Professor of Political Science at Panjab University, said, “Despite their internal distinctive identities, Deras represent the syncretic culture of Punjab. There is hardly a village or town throughout the length and breadth of the State where there is no Dera of one or the other nomenclature,” he said.
Mr. Ram said: “Among the plethora of Deras in Punjab, Ravidass Deras have become the most frequently visited sites during the last few months ahead of the multi-cornered Assembly polls. For the Scheduled Castes (SC), especially the followers of Guru Ravidass, Ravidass Deras are not only spiritual but socially and culturally empowering sacred spaces where they find their existence without any fear of social discrimination. Ravidassias constitute a large portion of the SC population, a reason for politicians of all hues to visit them. How Deras influence electoral politics is as difficult a question as the very Deras themselves are. The ‘Gaddi-nashins’ of Deras (heads of Deras) never make any promises or pronouncements for electoral favours whatsoever. They bless all who come to their Deras. Some of these Deras are having a huge infrastructure of social service sectors facilities like hospitality and education, which are managed by a strong body of management. The members of management committees are well-known personalities in their respective electoral regions. They also carry a lot of political aura endorsed by rich social capital generated by their Deras. It is the important members of these management committees who can play a significant role in the arithmetic of electoral politics,” he said.
Mr. Ram added that there is no standardised methodology to measure the possible impact of Deras on the performance of political parties in the forthcoming Punjab Assembly election. “However, it can be presumed that as far as the Congress is concerned, Ravidass Deras followers may prefer to cast their votes in favour of Charanjit Singh Channi. The BJP may have some sympathy among the followers of Dera Sacha Sauda. Dera of Radha Soami often keeps its distance from any political calculations, so there is no inclination towards which direction its huge followers may move. Since the majority of its following come from lower castes, there is some possibility of a small tilt towards the Congress. The SAD could get support from the Sikh population dominated Deras and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC)-led gurdwaras,” he said.
The rise of the Deras in Punjab politics may be attributed to the fact that in Punjab, there has been an asymmetrical social power structure favouring the Jat Sikh community. Ashutosh Kumar, Professor of Political Science at Panjab University, pointed out that the participation of the Dalit community has remained confined to a mere presence in party forums and law-making representative bodies. He asserts that political parties so far have shown great reluctance to empower the Dalits. “Political parties have resorted to the practice of cultivating Deras that have a significant presence of socially marginal communities' followers,” he said.
