Deciphering dera politics - Times of India

It was started in Nurmahal by Baba Ashutosh Ji Maharaj in 1984 when Punjab was going through a disturbed phase. In 90s, there were murmurs of his discourses in some schools of Sikhs, especially about the selective use of Gurbani and its interpretation. It reached a flash point when dera preacher Swami Shraddhanand made acrimonious comments about some Sikh institutions.

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After this incident, sansthan's programmes turned more towards Hindu idiom, practices and institutions. During the controversy between this dera and Sikhs, some Sikh leaders, including CM Parkash Singh Badal's wife late Surinder Kaur Badal, had come under attack, for paying obeisance to the sansthan head. After the situation turned volatile and clashes occurred at a few places, Captain Amarinder Singh's government banned its public functions for some time. After that, it roped in leaders from all political parties and increased its clout in official machinery. Just after Badal's government came to power in 2007, there was violence between the sansthan and Sikh organizations at Phagwara. BJP MLA Harish Bedi had organized a programme at Ludhiana on December 5, 2009, which invited flak from various Sikh groups. A Sikh was killed in police firing during the protests. Following this, all the 19 BJP MLAs met Badal in support of the sansthan. SAD MLA Mohan Lal, who used to tie a turban and support a flowing beard, untied his hair after he took an oath as member of the state assembly. It was widely believed that he did it to fulfil his commitment with the dera. However dera spokesperson Swami Arvindanand denies it.

Deciphering dera politics - Times of India