Chandigarh: Senior Haryana BJP stalwart and Cabinet Minister Anil Vij caused a flutter in the state politics on Friday saying he would continue to seek support from the followers of Dera Sacha Sauda. “We seek votes from all sections of society, if we come across a Dera follower, we will seek his support too”, Vij said.
The minister was making a clarification after revelations about a donation of Rs 50 lakhs to Dera Sacha Sauda hit the national media. Dera Sacha Sauda Head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is presently undergoing a 20-yr jail sentence for rape of two female ascetics (sadhvis).
Talking about the donation made by him and other senior BJP leaders, Vij sought to justify the act saying that the amount was meant for the Dera and not for Gurmeet Ram Rahim. He said that he had even taken a utilization receipt for the same from the proper authorities.
The Haryana minister, however, did not dwell on the fact that Dera Sacha Sauda finances, just like anything else in the sect, were in absolute control of Gurmeet Ram Rahim at the point in time when the donation was made. The fact that the Dera head was already facing cases related to grave crimes at the time the donation was made further raises question marks over the party’s recent bid to distance itself from Gurmeet Ram Rahim.
The Haryana government has come in for all round criticism for its mishandling of the Dera followers agitation in the run up to conviction of Gurmeet Ram Rahim by the CBI Court in Panchkula, which ultimately resulted in 39 deaths. The state government has been blamed for allowing a large number of Dera followers to gather in the city even after enforcing Section 144 of CrPC. One of its ministers went to the extent of saying that section 144 was not applicable to Dera followers during the protest.
The BJP government has been accused of giving preference to vote bank politics – acting leniently towards Dera followers during the days leading to Ram Rahim verdict – over the safety and security of state citizens. The party has, however, changed course in the recent days after the sentencing of Gurmeet Ram Rahim. Anil Vij’s clarification on donations is seen as a step in that direction.
Dera Sacha Sauda had extended full support to Haryana BJP during the 2014 Assembly Elections, which saw the party forming a government on its own for the first time in the state.