Having already made inroads into the urban Sikh electorate of Punjab, the BJP seems to have begun an exercise to woo the Dalit votebank ahead of the next Assembly elections in the state.
In a carefully choreographed move, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh, along with Dalit leaders including former Union Minister of State Vijay Sampla and former Chief Parliamentary Secretary Avinash Chander, facilitated a meeting between Dera Sachkhand Ballan chief Sant Niranjan Dass and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi last week. The timing was deliberate: Ahead of the 649th Guru Ravidas Jayanti. Dera Ballan holds deep religious and emotional significance for the Ravidassia community in Punjab.
Recognising the power of digital outreach, BJP leaders promptly released photographs of the meeting across social media platforms, sending a clear political signal to 32 per cent Dalit voters across the state.
“We had gone to invite the PM for the start of the year-long celebrations to mark the 650th jayanti of the Guru from his birthplace Banaras (Varanasi) in the coming February. Since the PM is Varanasi MP, the dera chief wanted to seek his approval for the allotment of additional 15-20 acres for setting up a satsang bhawan. The talks went on very smoothly,” said Avinash Chander.
The BJP has reportedly identified nearly 250 small and large deras across Punjab that hold varying degrees of influence over local constituencies — a sign of a more structured, long-term approach. “Our party has not been able to garner support from the Jatt community in the state, who are majorly landowners and have agriculture as their major source of income. The party is looking to be cordial with all other communities, including Ravidassias, Valmikis and OBCs, in line with its strategy in Haryana,” said a senior BJP leader from the state.
The BJP move has clearly unsettled the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). In 2023, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had visited Dera Sachkhand Ballan and handed over a cheque of Rs 25 crore for establishing a Sri Guru Ravidas Research Centre. However, land for the project is yet to be allotted.
Last month, Punjab State Commission for Scheduled Castes Chairman Jasvir Garhi summoned the Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner to seek clarity on the status of the project. The administration is now reportedly looking for suitable land in the vicinity.
Interestingly, the research centre was originally announced by former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Punjab’s first Dalit CM and now Congress MP from Jalandhar. Channi had announced and sanctioned the same amount ahead of the 2022 Assembly poll. He is known for his close association with the dera, including frequent visits, partaking in langar, and even sleeping on the floor of the premises during his tenure.
Like the BJP, SAD and the Congress, AAP has also been trying to appease various deras. AAP gave MP’s seat to Balbir Singh Seechewal, running a dera in Sultanpur Lodhi. AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal held a meeting with functionaries of Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan, Nurmahal, in Delhi this week. Last month, the state government had got handed over the custody of Akal Bunga gurdwara in Sultanpur Lodhi to a Nihang faction led by Baba Balbir Singh. Both AAP and BJP had last month organised parallel events to mark the 350th martyrdom day of Guru Teg Bahadur.
Article_Author Deepkamal Kaur
Courtesy: The Tribune
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