Padma Shri to sect head, now PM Modi to visit on Feb 1: Why Dera Sachkhand Ballan in Punjab's Jalandhar matters so much

PRime government minister Narendra Modi is go under to see Dera Sachkhand at Ballan close Jalandhar on feb 1, on the occasion of Ravidas Jayanti, marking yet another outreach to the Dalit community, particularly in Punjab where elections are due in about year.The visit, confirmed by senior BJP leaders Vijay Sampla and Manoranjan Kalia, will have come just days after the dera's head, Niranjan Dass, was chosen for the Pama Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award.In December, accompanied by senior leaders of the party, dera head Niranjan Dass met PM Modi to extend an invitation for the celebrations to mark Gurpurab of Guru Ravidass on February 1, besides requesting him for countrywide celebrations to mark the 650th birth anniversary of the spiritual leader next year.A sect of the Ravidassia community in the heart of Punjab’s Doaba belt, Dera Sachkhand Ballan sees politicians of all hues descending in election season.The PM's visit, thus, becomes one of the most high-profile ones, particularly when the BJP is hoping to make a mark on its own in a state where it has at best been a junior partner so far to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). The SAD-BJP alliance broke in 2020 over the farm laws that were later withdrawn, and there has since been only speculation about their possible re-alliance."Sant Niranjan Dass ji has played a remarkable role in spreading the thoughts and message of Sant Guru Ravidas Ji Maharaj, not only across the country but also internationally," Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma said in a statement issued on the day of the award announcement.Thanking PM Modi, Sharma said the central government is committed to honouring the contributions of every section, community and region, and this decision "reflects that very vision".How Dera Ballan holds swayThe dera, situated in Ballan village 8km from Jalandhar, draws its strength from the large number of Dalit followers, a significant vote bank in this region. Dalits constitute 32% of the population in Punjab, the highest such proportion among all states. Most of the Scheduled Castes (SC) population is concentrated in Doaba, accounting for 45% of the population here.Doaba sends 23 members to the Punjab assembly of 117, and the dera holds sway in at least 19 seats, HT has reported.“Politicians have been making a beeline to the dera to ensure social mobility for Dalits. In such times, deras can’t be ignored due to their socio-political role,” Chandigarh-based political analyst Ronki Ram told HT.Role in assembly electionsThe dera played a pivotal role in the 2022 Punjab election as the Congress managed to hold its ground in Doaba despite an Aam Aadmi Party wave. Of the 23 seats in the region, the AAP and the Congress won 10 each, while Sukhbir Badal-led SAD, the Bahujan Samaj Party of Maywati, and the BJP won only one seat each.In the 2017 elections, Congress made a clean sweep in Doaba.It isn't thus surprising to find political leaders, cutting across party lines, heading to the dera.AAP boss Arvind Kejriwal and CM Bhagwant Mann have met teh dera head, ahead of elections in particular.There is competition there. When the AAP government in 2023 handed over a cheque of ₹25 crore to the district administration to build the Guru Ravidass Bani Research Centre at Ballan, the main opposition Congress was said the state government “re-released” the grant announced by former CM Charanjit Singh Channi in December 2021.Channi, who is from the Dalit community, is currently the MP from Jalandhar, and considered a forerunner in a faction-ridden Congress.Channi, as well Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and state leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, have been paying visits to the dera. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal has also called on Sant Niranjan Dass in recent years as the party tries to regain its lost bases.Milestone in sect’s journeyDera Sachkhand Ballan made headlines after the murder of its deputy leader Sant Ramanand at Vienna in Austria in May 2009, which triggered violence between radical Sikhs and Dalits.The fifth and present head, Niranjan Dass, was also injured in that attack.Ronki Ram, who has researched on deras of Punjab, has said, “This dera has done extensive work for the development and social uplift of the Ravidassia community due to which they are largely connected and influenced by it.”Sant Ramanand’s murder by radical Sikhs led to the setting up of the Ravidassia Dharam, primarily by a section within the Dalit community that earlier associated with Sikhism; and they have their own holy book too, Amrit Bani: Satguru Ravidass Granth.The announcement of this new religion was made by sect head Niranjan Dass in January 2010 from the birthplace temple of Guru Ravidass in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. That temple is considered a milestone in the sect’s journey.However, the dera’s diktat to follow their holy book has created rifts within. A former leader of the dera, Surinder Dass, established a different dera in the nearby Kathar village and followed Guru Granth Sahib.History of Dera BallanThe dera was set up in 1895 by Sant Pipal Das, a native of Bathinda’s Gill Patti village.His preaching was based on the Sikh holy book, Guru Granth Sahib, which includes Guru Ravidass’s religious-reformatory verses.Sant Sarwan Dass, the son of Sant Pipal Dass, was the second head of the dera from 1928 to 1972. Under his leadership, the Shri Guru Ravidass Janam Asthan Mandir was built at Seer Govardhanpur in Varanasi.Sant Hari Dass became the third head of the dera from 1972 to 1982.Sant Garib Dass succeeded him and led the dera from 1982 to 1994. Under his leadership, the dera opened hospitals, schools and industrial training institutes.Sant Niranjan Dass took over as its fifth head in August 1994. He is involved in philanthropist works for Dalits.Professor Paramjit Singh Judge, an Amritsar-based expert on Dalit issues, had told HT a couple of years ago in his analysis ahead of a bypoll, that the dera has no political aim. “There is an illusion that the dera in Ballan influences the Doaba region's politics. However, in the coming Jalandhar byelection, it can influence to some degree and impact voting trends at micro-level among Dalits, since most of the candidates of all parties belong to the same caste,” Singh had said.