dera-sikh contraversy

[ramdas]

As a hapless Akali government watched, the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandak Committee stood eyeball-to-eyeball with the Dera Sacha Sauda.

 

On the streets followers of both sides gathered in the thousands.

 

Sectarian tension had once again brought Punjab to a flashpoint as the SGPC gave the Parkash Singh Badal government an ultimatum, ordering it to take action against the Dera, forcing its leader to publicly apologise or else face the consequences.

 

Cornered by the Akal Takht, the backbone of its Sikh vote bank and criticized by its ally, the BJP, the Akali government gave in and opened back channel talks between the Dera and the SGPC.

 

Past conflicts

 

Ever since the latest Dera controversy broke out, one group has figured prominently in newspaper editorials.

 

The Nirankaris clashed with the Akalis in 1978, an event that marked the beginning of unrest in Punjab.

 

Today, 30 years and much bloodshed later, the Nirankaris would rather not be reminded of that controversy.

 

''We don't want to talk about all that. It's all over. We believe in peace,'' said Rajkumar, Nirankari worker.

 

The Nirankaris and Sacha Sauda are among hundreds of sects with their own Godmen emerging in Punjab.

 

Maharaj Ashutosh established the Divya Jyoti Jagran Sansthan in 1984, the year Indira Gandhi died. Today, they claim to have 3.5 crore followers across India.

 

And yes, they have also had their share of run-ins with the SGPC over allegations of anti-Sikh activities.

 

''It was a time of unrest and Ashutoshji told people that the answers do not lie in violence,'' said Guru Kripanand, Divya Jyoti Sansthan.

 

''The popularity of these groups did grow after the militancy years people needed something to hang on to,'' said Prof MS Gill, Panjabi University.

 

Akali-Dera tension traces its roots to medieval times when Kabir Panth sought to bring in the masses.

 

As a growing number of poorer Sikhs found themselves left behind, Deras increasingly became their sense of identity.

 

Post-independence however, when rich Sikhs adopted Brahmanical concepts like insisting on separate Gurudwaras for the Dalits among the Sikhs, the Deras served to give the Dalits a sense of equality.

 

Today, however, experts say Deras thrive largely on political patronage, like the Dera Sacha Sauda, which boasts of a following of over two crore people. Deras can be important vote banks.

 

''Politicians also cultivate these godmen. It gives them a ready vote bank they can tap into,'' said Him Indoor Singh, Professor, Punjab University.

 

With the Dera Sacha Sauda leader issuing everything but an outright apology to the SGPC late on Saturday night, the current standoff may just have easened up.

 

But the differences run deep and no one knows when the next sectarian standoff in Punjab will threaten the fragile peace.

 

The Dera tradition is quite old in India. In fact, it goes back to medieval times. But experts say it has seen a revival in recent times, especially in Punjab.

 

Some were formed during the militancy years, some more recently but they all have a considerable and influential following.

[ramdas]

Congress drew a sect Dera Sacha Sauda in

politics for the creation of Operation Blue

Star like situation. Congress got fatwa from

Dera chief in its favor in the previous held

assembly election of Punjab. Congress developed

the leadership of Bhinderwale to divide Shiromani

Akali Dal and later supported Nirankaris to crush

the Bhinderwale.

 

 

From where the name Dera Sacha Sauda came

 

 

Dera Sacha Sauda sect in fact follows Sikh Panth and Guru

Nanak Saheb. The name of Dera sacha sauda is also picked up

from an incident of the life of Guru Nanak. One day father

of Guru Nanak sent his son for purchasing some goods and

gave money fot that. Nanak dev went but he gave all money

to the saints and came back home. Nanak dev replied his

father that he distributed the money between the needy

saints and that was a sacha sauda. Thus Dera picked up this

name. But in later as happened generally every new sect,

begins to compete their original panth. Perhaps this same

is happening now with Dera sacha sauda as happened with

Nirankaris. Congress as its character gives fuel to the

fire.

 

 

Congress Candidate against Sidhu, Singla Touching feet

 

 

Creation of Operation Blue Star by Congress

 

 

In the Pre-Operation Blue Star period the former S.G.P.C.

Akali, and experienced politician Jail Singh, on the

instruction of Congress High Command dreamed the best way

to break up the S.G.P.C. Akali Dal/Bhartiya Jan Sangh

(Preesent BJP) coalition was to wean the Sikh support away

from the S.G.P.C.

 

 

As the historian Patwant Singh comments: "The person chosen

for the role was Jarnail Singh Bhindranwala, a seminary

preacher with a considerable knowledge of the Sikh

scriptures,"

 

 

Jail Singh with Congress played his clever card to destroy

the Akali Dal/Bhartiya Jang Sang coalition by encouraging

the Sant Nirankaris to hold a convention in Amritsar. This

in turn gave JailSingh a weapon with which to potentially

smash the Akali Dal/Jan Sangh coalition. Jail Singh was

fully aware that the Sant Nirankaris were considered a

heretical Sikh sect and perceived by most Sikhs as a enemy

of Sikhism. Sant Nirankaris asked the Punjab government

permission to hold the convention in Amritsar, this put the

Akali Dal in a predicament.

 

 

Jail Singh had played his card well and the Akali Dal

decided to let the convention go ahead and weather the

storm of Sikh protest.

 

 

On 13th April 1978, the Nirankari convention took place in

Amritsar. A fanatical agricultural inspector named Fauja

Singh, affiliated with the Akhand Kirtani Jatha and

Bhindrawala marched through the streets of Amritsar to

confront the Sant Nirankaris. Thirteen of the, followers of

Bhrindranwale, and three or four Nirankaris were shot.

 

 

The Congress Party began to whip up anti-Sant Nirankari

sentiments amongst the Sikhs via their Congress-controlled

Sikh temples in Delhi. Not wishing to alienate their

coalition partners, the S.G.P.C. Akalis tried to play down

the Sant Nirankari incident in Punjab. The Congress-held

Gurdwaras in Delhi promoted Bhindrawala as a hero of the

Sant Nirankari incident.

 

 

Meanwhile the Sant Nirankaris had their court case moved

from Punjab to neighboring state of Haryana because they

felt that in Punjab they would not get a fair hearing.

 

 

The Haryana courts acquitted the Sant Nirankaris on grounds

of self-defence. Here the stone of Operation Blue Star was

kept by Congress. And this stone ultimately became the

cause of assassination of Indira Gandhi. Congress never

wants to learn lessons from its unforgivable sins against

the nation.

 

 

The Congress Party of the Indian government began to play a

role in this clash when they started to support the cause

of the Nirankaris. For example, the Congress Party paid for

many expenses of the Nirankari Congregation. The Congress

Party 's support for the Nirankaris formation deepened the

division between the Orthodox Sikhs and the Indian

government. This tension between the two parties eventually

led Bhrindranwale to seek refuge in the Golden Temple out

of fear that he would be executed by the Indian Army.

 

 

Congress sowed the seeds of Khalistan

 

 

Prior to the Khalistani movement in the 1980s, there is no

example of Sikhs persecuting any heretical movement within

it ranks. Even the despicable Sikh sect, the Handalias, who

caused so much harm to the Khalsa in the 19th century were

allowed to die a natural and inevitable death. It is the

Congress which sowed the seeds of Khalistan.

 

 

The media in the Punjab took the part of the Nirankaris on

the pica of' secularism. So did the Congress party which,

on returning to power at the Centre, dismissed the Akali

government in the Punjab, where too fresh elections were

held and Congress government installed.

 

 

The same roles are being played by the so called media and

the Congress to create hurdles before the SAD (B) fight.

This is not going only in Punjab. Congress and Left create

this situation every where through various divide and ruld

policy: Save Afzal move, highlighting of fake encounter of

terrorist a man of Don Daud, Freedom of Expression through

MS Uniersity of Vadodara and Indore. Kerala Govt. of left

has decided to reward the M F Hussain for making nude

painting of Bharatmata and Hindu god goddeses.

 

 

Operation Blue Star and Present Violence in Punjab

 

 

The same situation is being created by Congess in Punjab

with the help of Dera Sacha Sauda. Sirsa border of Haryana

and Punjab is the capital of this sect and Haryana is ruled

by Congress. After its defeat in Punjab by wasting the

fatwa of this sect, Congress and sect both want to teach

the lesson DAD (B) and BJP coilation government as the

Congress of Indira did in the past.

 

 

Fatwa of Dera to support Congress in the assembly election

 

 

Now there is violent fight between the two Sikh sects as

per the poisonous divide and rule policy with sugar coat of

communal secularism. Sonia Gandhi in the name of secularism

begged votes to play the communal card by getting fatwa of

a religious sect Dera Chief.

 

 

Feb 10: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today said

the Dera Sacha Sauda's decision to extend support to the

Congress will be a shot in the arm for the party during the

February 13 polls.

 

 

Tensions had been brewing between the ruling Akalis and

Dera supporters ever since Dera supporters were told to

vote for the Congress in the recent Assembly polls. The

Congress had done well in the Malwa belt following the

dictate

 

 

Ad to show Dera Chief as Guru Gobind Singh

 

 

The violent tussle since May 13, 07, began after newspaper

advertisements allegedly showed Baba Gurmeet Singh Ram

Raheem attired like 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh and the

Akalis protested the advertisements that also showed the

Dera head distributing "amrit".

 

 

Efigy of Sonia was burnt

 

 

In the back ground of present violence, Akal Takht Jathedar

calls Sikh conclave on May 17. This violence has spread out

of Punjab upto Jammu, Sriganganagar of Raj and Bhopal of

MP. Communal Congress and atheists communist should not be

allowed to spread this violence further.

 

 

On April 8, the activists of Sikh Students' Federation

(SSF) burnt effigies of Sonia Gandhi and Congress today,

accused the government of shielding Sant Ram Rahim Singh,

the owner of Dera Sacha Sauda at Sirsa. The president of

SSF, GS Grewal said that a few days ago, Malwa Congress

MLAs had appealed to All India Congress Committee (AICC) to

bail out Ram Rahim from the sex-scandal he is allegedly

involved in

 

 

What is PAW (Political Affairs Wing of Dera Sacha Sauda)?

 

 

Members of Political Affairs Wing of Dera Sacha Sauda are

representatives of Sadh Sangat for welfare of Sadh Sangat.

 

 

Edict splits Dera followers

 

 

Political and foreign wing of Dera SachaSauda

 

 

I read a following comment of a 'premi':

 

 

I am follower of Dera Sacha Sauda or Sant Gurmeet Ram Rahim

Ji. I want to request Sant Gurmeet Ram Rahim Ji to stop

playing with our sentiments. Dera Sacha Sauda has been

commercialized and now we are being insulted by society. We

can't answer questions raised from society. How can we tell

them that our guru is a true guru when he has been making

money from his followers and now want to vote congress? We

can't vote on the name of GOD. Please don't be our guru of

social world but only be our guru of spiritual world. We

can always decide ourselves whom to vote. Please keep your

political wing or foreign wing to yourself. We don't need

them. Also keep your commercial wing to yourself too.

Hopefully someone will read this to you. Thanks

 

 

There is a book "Bande Tou Rab", where it is clearly

mentioned that "Dera Sacha Sauda has nothing todo neither

with any political party nor in future will be related to

any political party...." But Congress managed them

scusscessfully for getting fatwa in its favor from the Dera

Sacha sauda.

 

 

DM orders taking over of Dera property in Himachal

 

 

As reported on April 27, Kangra district magistrate Bharat

Khera has asked the revenue department to take over the

possession of 175 kanals of prime land in Chachian village

of Palampur subdivision of Kangra district as the state

property and 'vest the property in the name of the state

government as the owner in revenue records'.

 

 

The land was allegedly the 'benami' property of Dera Sacha

Sauda that was acquired by it in the names of some local

people.

 

 

Murder of journalist

 

 

On October 24, a gunman fired several shots at Chaterpatti,

a journalist based in Sirsa, a town in the northern state

of Haryana. Chaterpatti was taken to an area hospital but

was later transferred to the Apollo Hospital in New Delhi.

 

 

Police arrested three suspects, including the alleged

gunman and a leader of the Sirsa-based religious sect Dera

Sacha Sauda, according to the Press Trust of India news

agency.

 

 

Sacha Sauda: HC comes down on CBI

 

 

As report of April 17, The Bench observed that there was no

tangible material before it or genuine reason for the

agency to seek more time. The only inference, the court

said, was that either the sincerity was lacking or there

were some extraneous consideration in dealing with the

matter.

[Anahat]

ddstha. (com) for sacha sauda newsletter

 

 

In Sacha Sauda, Sach means Om, Hari, Allah, Khuda, Rabb, Waheguru, God and Sauda means taking man’s miseries, worries, problems, tensions, pains and giving him Allah, Waheguru, Ram, God’s Name in return. Sacha Sauda is the place where oneness of God is taught. It is the confluence of all religions. There is no inferior or superior here; no high or low castes. Whoever comes here, sings the praises of Allah, Malik, and eats the bread earned through hard work. The individuals who walk on this path, on them God bestows His grace. As he keeps doing this Sacha Sauda, he reaches that Sacha Sauda from where the road that leads to God begins. This is between one’s eyes, which in different religions are named the tenth door, the eye of knowledge, the point of very deep sleep, and Mehrab, and this point has been called Sacha Sauda by Shah Mastana Ji. As soon as you reach this point, you will find your Malik, Satguru, Ram waiting for you since ages wondering when you will awaken, when you will practice devotion, and when you will get liberated. As soon as the soul reaches the Sacha Sauda by taking the Name of Malik, the Name of Prabhu, it achieves liberation from repeated births; all miseries and difficulties go away; and the soul becomes filled with the happiness of God. Those souls are fortunate that have the longing as to when it will find God, when it will end its repeated births, and when it will find that happiness that is millions of times greater than any other happiness and that which is eternal and not momentary. To be able to experience this happiness you should practice remembrance and do selfless service.