Deras and Vote-Bank Politics

[DrRajpalSingh]

We have been reading much on the influence of caste, khap, region and religion on the vote bank politics in India for pretty a long time.

To day a very interesting news item has appeared in the Tribune, Chandigarh [dated 10th April, 2014 on page 09] on the influence of Deras and Vote-bank politics in the Punjab and adjacent parts of Haryana.

Readers are requested to go through it and post their comments.

[DrRajpalSingh]

Log: www.tribuneindia.com (http://www.tribuneindia.com) for more news.

For Deras.....Log http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140410/vote.htm#3

News item from above link is produced hereinunder :


Deras and vote-bank politics
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, April 9
When former CM Capt Amarinder Singh sought blessings from Roomi Dera near Rampura in Bathinda before leaving for Amritsar to contest the Lok Sabha poll, he just underlined the importance of such religious deras in the state polity.
Few days ago, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal had visited the Roomi Wala Dera a day before Capt Amarinder Singh did besides other deras in the Doaba belt of the state.
Not just them, but any politician today can dare stay away from these deras. Reason: The religious deras have huge following and it is believed many of them cast vote en masse for a party and can tilt the scales in any direction.
Studies suggest that there were 9,000 to 10,000 such deras in Punjab. The number does not include small deras that have their own influence in a given area.
Political scientist Prof Ronki Ram of Panjab University claimed that it would be no exaggeration to say that there would be one or two deras per village in the state. "But how many of these have political affiliation and vote en masse is a subject of study," he said.
He said he had noticed that dera followers do not change their religion and caste and marry within their clan only.
He said: "Under such circumstances, it remains to be seen how they change their political affiliations at the behest of the heads. Though about 20 top deras in the state are listed as having political influence, a recent example of the Dera Sacha Sauda suggests that people may follow some of the dera heads completely."
If the matter was of votes only, the dera politics could have been ignored. But the state has already witnessed bloodshed over them started by the confrontation between Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and the Nirankaris, which later led to the decade of mindless terrorism in the state.
The deras suffer and flourish also because of the politicians. The Bhaniara Wala Baba, Dera Sacha Sauda, the Nirankaris, Namdhari Dera, Radha Swamis and Ashutosh Maharaj's Noormahal Dera-all have figured in news owing to political affiliations denied later by the sect heads.

contd/-

[DrRajpalSingh]

All remember how the Sacha Sauda having head office at Sirsa in Haryana has its influence across the Malwa belt in Punjab.
The dera had supported the Congress in the 2002 Assembly elections and the conflict began when the Akalis retained power in 2007 Assembly elections.
Akalis again won in 2012 and just days before that the police recommended cancellation of an FIR for hurting religious sentiments registered against the dera head. The case is in local court.
Before the 2007 elections, Dera Dhakki Sahib in Maqsoodran in Ludhiana witnessed a similar turmoil when Akali workers led by two MLA brothers of the party ransacked the dera. The dera head known as Helicopter Baba had immense influence in the region.
Deras have changed their strategy after that. They have made political wings. The followers, local journalists and intelligence bureau sleuths reveal that the deras don't declare their stand openly now. They pass subtle directions through the political wings and that too a day or hours before the elections.
In Malwa Dera Sacha Sauda has a huge impact. It was supporting the Congress, but after the clash with the Akalis things changed and in the next elections, Akali won the majority of seats from Malwa.
Harmander Jassi, whose daughter is married to the son of dera head lost elections from Bathinda Urban, where dera followers are in a plenty.
During militancy in the state, a number of deras openly declared that they were supporting the government's fight against terrorism.
The Akalis have managed to win over many of them a substantial level. Revenue Minister Bikramjit Majithia is married to the niece of an influential sect in the Doaba belt.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal developed close affinity with dera heads by offering them land at a token price of Re 1, that too along the National Highway in Ludhiana city.

concluded.

[desijat]

Should not this be merged in 2014 election thread as this also is on same line

[sunnytewatia]

Should not this be merged in 2014 election thread as this also is on same line
This is seprate issue bro. Religious institutions interfering with politics is bad

[DrRajpalSingh]

Should not this be merged in 2014 election thread as this also is on same line

Good idea but the issue raised is of a very serious nature and needs through discussion by the participants.

Hence this opportunity on the separate forum/thread.

Comments on the contents of the issues raised are welcome.

[avinashb]

Scheduled castes so called Mazhabi Sikhs in Punjab constitute around 32% of total population of Punjab ... Many Mazhabi Sikhs are followers of Dera Sachcha Sauda ...
Even Kanshi Ram was a Dalit from Ropar ..

Unlike Uttar Pradesh and Haryana,Dalit Sikhs don't vote in favour of BSP so due to vote bank politics SAD and Congress regularly visit Baba Rahim