Need dera to change Punjab: Kejri at Sachkhand Ballan
JALANDHAR: Unlike other political leaders, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal did not get to sit in a special meeting room nor did he get a oneon- one with the sect head as he visited the Dalit Ravidassia community’s religious hub, Dera Sachkhand Ballan, near here on Tuesday. But, not unlike other leaders, in his brief thanksgiving he said the AAP “needs the help of religious heads and a dera such as Sachkhand Ballan” in its “mission to change Punjab”.
T hough media was not allowed inside during Kejriwal’s visit, it is learnt that the dera head met him in the presence of many followers including pro- Congress trustees of the dera management. It was after alleged pressure on the management by its reported “favoured party” Congress and the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) that Kejriwal was made to sit in the main temple where present dera head Niranjan Dass meets devotees in general. He did get to deliver a speech for about three minutes, though, in which he outlined his party’s image and agenda, and thanked and praised the dera.
Notably, whenever the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief or other political leaders visit the dera — as PPCC head Capt Amarinder Singh did twice in recent weeks — the sect head meets them in a special room.
Sources in the dera also said the reason behind the measured response was the statements given by some local AAP leaders a few days ago in which it was claimed that the Delhi CM had been “invited” by the dera head to visit. The dera head, after Kejriwal left the premises, said the dera did not have any practice of sending invitations, and Kejriwal visited the dera as an “ordinary person”.
“We don’t invite anybody. Whosoever comes here is welcome, big or small,” said the dera head. Kejriwal did not talk to the media here.
Earlier, the convoy of Kejriwal reached the dera around 4pm, and an hour later he came out to head towards Seechewal village, where he met renowned environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal. Before that, he also had langar at the dera.
On Sunday, a delegation of the SAD led by Adampur MLA Pawan Kumar Tinu and also a group of Congress leaders reportedly met the dera head separately.