Haryana election 2024: Dera Sacha Sauda calls on followers to support BJP

The call to vote for the BJP was conveyed during a gathering held at the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa on Thursday night, a day after Gurmeet Ram Rahim was released on parole

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim on Thursday night asked his followers to vote for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Haryana elections, just a day after he was released on a 20-day parole from a Rohtak jail where he is serving a 20-year term for raping his two disciples. 

The call to back the BJP was conveyed during a gathering held at the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa. Unlike previous occasions, when instructions were openly given from the ‘satsang’ platform ahead of elections, this time the message was delivered more discreetly, reported The Economic Times.

Citing sources, the business-daily claimed that the message wasn't delivered from the stage but through office-bearers, who mingled with the congregation and encouraged them to vote for the BJP. “We have also urged followers to mobilise voters –– each follower should bring five additional voters from their community to the polling station,” the report quoted an office-bearer of Dera Sacha Sauda as saying.

Shift in satsang leadership

Since Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s conviction and subsequent 20-year prison sentence for raping two followers at the Sirsa headquarters, there have been notable changes in the Dera’s activities. The political affairs committee, once active in Dera operations, has been dissolved, with followers now leading the satsangs. Sources indicate that after his release, Ram Rahim, who is staying at his ashram in Baghpat, communicated his support for the BJP through an office-bearer in Sirsa.

The Dera’s backing for the BJP is not unprecedented. With a large following among Dalit communities in Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan, Dera Sacha Sauda has historically aligned with the BJP. However, since Ram Rahim's 2017 conviction, the Dera has refrained from openly supporting any political party, including during the 2019 general elections. Even in this year’s Lok Sabha polls, the Dera remained silent on electoral support.

Parole timing of Gurmeet Ram Rahim drew opposition’s ire

The latest 20-day parole came on the heels of a 21-day parole that ended on September 2. Ram Rahim’s releases have sparked row due to their timing, often coinciding with elections. In July-August 2023, he was granted a 30-day parole that overlapped with Haryana’s panchayat elections. In 2022, three paroles were granted, with one aligning with the Punjab assembly elections. Notably, during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Dera openly supported the BJP, which went on to win seven out of 10 seats in Haryana, compared to the Congress' two.