Chandigarh: Dera Sacha Sauda, the religious cult run by convicted godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, has asked its followers to vote for the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Haryana Assembly election that is currently underway, Saturday, October 5.
The announcement was made a day after the convicted rapist-murderer godman walked out of jail for the 15th time in 4 years, according to reports.
The announcement was made in a muted manner, as a message passed during a religious gathering at the organisation’s headquarters in Sirsa, on Thursday night. The organisation, always have vouched for BJP for elections and has openly asked its followers to vote for the party days before the election. But this time, the rapist-murderer godman being released on parole days before the election has caused a huge outcry from voters in Haryana.
In view of this situation, the organisation did not provide any official announcement but the office-bearers in the headquarters told the ‘satsanghis‘, the attendees of the gathering. An office-bearer of the cult was quoted by The Economic Times, “We have also asked the followers to get involved in energising the booth, every follower should get five more voters living in their colony to get to vote (for BJP) at the polling station.”
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the leader of the cult, is currently serving a 20-year imprisonment sentence after he was convicted of raping two of his disciples, post which he will serve life sentences in two murder cases he was convicted of. The godman has always shown allegiance to the BJP. Analysts believe that the party, which has been ruling Haryana since 2014, is returning him favours including parole at his will and taking his help in winning votes in the state.
The BJP is facing strong anti-incumbency and voter fatigue in the state, with the voters unhappy with the party’s performance. Issues including farmers’ protests, and sexual assault against wrestlers, with the BJP protecting the accused Brij Bhushan Charan Singh have taken the party’s acceptance among the voters. Agnipath scheme, introduced by the BJP-led Union government was received with furious anger from the youth in the state, which gives the second most number of army men in the country.
Meanwhile, the Congress looks resurgent in Haryana, with the party campaigning by promising solutions to the problems and calling out the incumbent BJP over its alleged anti-people policies. Congress, in its campaign, promised minimum-selling price on crops for farmers, and gas cylinders for Rupees 500, reducing the drug problem and unemployment in the state, which have garnered a bigger public appeal to the party.
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