Why are Babas state within state?

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By IndiaTomorrow.net,
“The open support of the Dera (Saccha Sauda) has directly influenced results in five or six constituencies (in Haryana assembly poll). Almost overnight, its followers mobilised in favour of the BJP with fanatic zeal and scores of them volunteered as polling agents for the party,” academic D.R. Chaudhary was quoted as saying. It pointed towards the enormous influence the Sirsa based baba holds over the electorate and politics of Haryana. Now Hisar based controversial godman Rampal has not only challenged the state government but even defied the courts of law before being arrested after the police fought pitched battle with his commandoes leaving five dead.

According to media reports, the controversial godman had supported the BJP in the just concluded assembly election. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had praised Dera chief Baba Ram Rahim Singh’s cleanliness campaign, even as 40 BJP candidates had gone to his ashram to seek his blessings, prompting the opponents to say that it was a “secret deal” which turned the tide in favour of BJP in Haryana. The dera chief who is facing charges of rape and murder had earlier extended support to the Congress party in 2007.

The deras maintain close relationship with the political class and political parties for mutual advantages. The political parties get electoral advantage of this relationship or nexus while the babas are at time allowed to get away with heinous of crimes while their followers openly flout law of the land as couple of days ago over 200 dera followers were arrested on charges of attempt to murder. Baba Ram Rahim Singh is also facing charges of murder and rape.

Interesting relationship has emerged between these deras, political parties, electorates, state and the courts of law. These deras are state within the state and openly flout all the laws of the land but due to electoral advantages the political parties who rule the state need their support for their political relevance. The democracy and electoral politics which was supposed to empower the masses ends up making them captive vote banks of some babas. Rough estimates point that these deras had influence on over 50 to 60 lakh people in the northern region out of which at least half of them are electorates. The babas exercise captive control over these set of followers who do not vote at their free will but at the orders of the baba or their spiritual gurus. These are the challenges which electoral democracy faces in a highly religious society like India, besides voting on cast or community lines. These are a different set of electorates who are not bound by any cast or community line but adherence for a baba. In this complex milieu when these babas are rounded up for any crime first the state which is run by a political party tries to hush up the case due to electoral advantage these babas provide. Later when media pressure builds up the state and its police start pretending to act but when courts come in then it is left with no option than to act.

None of the political party could claim any excuse. The Congress which has ruled the longest in the states of Haryana and Punjab encouraged this kind of culture and the BJP does not see any reason to discontinue with the same.

The political dealings with Jama Masjid’s Shahi Imam Ahmed Bukhari could also be seen in this context. Before every election the so-called Shahi Imam who is facing charges of appropriating the 16th century historical monument and “illegally” trying to fix his youngest son as the ‘naib imam’, becomes sought after by these secular political parties. In July 2012 a Delhi court had issued non-bailable warrant against the imam on the charges of rioting and obstructing the police in doing its duty. Despite the court order the police had failed to execute the warrant and produce him before the court, certainly due to the political clout that he appeared to enjoy across political parties from Congress to the Samajwadi Party.

It is high time that the political class and parties start redefining their relationship with these religious leaders and stop their clandestine engagements which at times are overt and covert. The malaise may be due to wider decay in the political culture of the country where political class engages and play caste and communal politics for electoral gains. The Election Commission also needs to take note how these feudal babas hijack the electoral process in the name of perpetuating babadom.

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