Akali Dal shies away from criticising dera

CHANDIGARH: The Shir oman iA kali Dal (SAD) shied away from criticising Dera Sacha Sauda head G ur meet Ram Ra him Singh who was convicted in a rape case on Friday after which his followers went on a ram page in Pan ch ku la and parts of Punjab.

SAD pres id en tSukhb ir Bad al appealed to people to maintain harmony. A party press release said ,“With regards to incidents of arson and violence in Malwa after the court verdict, the state government should remain vigilant and ensure such incidents do not happen elsewhere. The government should call in more para military forces, if needed .”

Former CM Parkash Singh Badal could not be reached for comments. Sukhbir asked the A kali workers to form patrol parties and also ensure things do not take a violent turn.

DERA-AKALI PAST RELATION

In1997, the dera opened a branch at Salabatpura near Bhadaur (Bathinda) during the Akali Dal regime after it was ousted from Haryana during the Bansi Lal government.

The der a, which claims hold on at least 40 constituencies of Malwa belt, announced support for SAD during the 2012 and 2017 assembly elections.

Leaders of all political parties would visit the dera seeking its support but in the 2017 polls, the dera made public the visits of six SAD candidates, including two ministers Sikandar Sing hM aluka and Jan meja Sing hSekh on.

To counter the rising popularity of the A am A ad mi Party, Akalis made a last-ditch effort to hold their ground by seeking support from the dera.

Akali candidate from Talwand iS aboJe et Mo hinder Singh Sidhu went to the extent of assuring der a followers( pr em is) that the party would support naam charcha (congregations by the der a) in Punjab. Der a has sought permission to hold na am char ch a in Salabatpura.

In 2007, SAD’s relations with the dera hit a rough patch when the dera chief’s pictures showing him imitating Guru Gobind Singh became public.