Ram Rahim gets furlough ahead of polls. Who said what?
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the chief of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect, has been granted a three-week furlough. Ram Rahim had been lodged at a jail in Haryana's Rohtak district for raping two of his women disciples and involvement in two murders. Haryana's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party terms the furlough a "legal right" while political rivals claim it is linked to the Punjab elections.
Why does this story matter?
Ram Rahim's release—from February 7 to February 28—comes less than two weeks before the Punjab elections. The self-styled godman and his followers are influential in Punjab, particularly in the Malwa region. The area comprises 69 constituencies—more than 50% of the total 117 in the Punjab Assembly. Dera followers are known to vote in accordance with diktats issued by the sect's leaders.
Haryana CM says it's not political
In Haryana, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the furlough was the "legal right of a convict." "I think it is a coincidence and has no connection with the polls," he said at a party program. "The seats we are eyeing are in the Majha and Doaba region and, therefore, it does not have any link," a Punjab BJP member said, according to News18.
Sikh gurdwara body criticizes furlough
Meanwhile, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has criticized the furlough. SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami accused the BJP of trying to "gain political advantage in the elections." "The BJP does not want to see a peaceful Punjab, that is why Gurmeet Ram Rahim has been brought out," he said in a statement in Amritsar.
Congress, Akali Dal slam BJP
BJP's political opponents, including Congress which is in power in Punjab, said Dera followers are expected to support the saffron party. "There is no doubt about it. BJP is using him for votes and the Dera will support the BJP," Congress MLA Sukhjeet Singh Kaka Lohgarh said. Akali leader Daljit Singh Cheema said, "The BJP is making a joke of the system."
Elections in Punjab
Elections in Punjab will be held in a single phase on February 20 and results will be declared on March 10. Congress is fighting to retain power while the Aam Aadmi Party has set its eyes on expanding power out of Delhi. BJP has partnered with former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh while the Akali Dal has allied with the Bahujan Samaj Party.
