Barwala (Haryana): A lot has changed at Satlok Ashram in Barwala in Hisar district of Haryana over the last five years. Just days after the first BJP government in the state took over, it faced its first serious challenge here. The ashram head, Sant Rampal, was an accused in the murder of a woman. The case was connected to a violent clash between followers of Arya Samaj and Rampal at the Ashram in 2006.
When police went to arrest Rampal in the case, his followers resisted them. There was firing from inside the Ashram which was then teeming with over 10,000 people. When repeated efforts to get Rampal to surrender failed, the Khattar government sent in forces to arrest him. Six more people were killed in the clashes between Rampal’s supporters and the police. They included four women and a child. Rampal was booked for sedition and murder and was arrested.
Rampal’s conviction comes during election time
Recently a Hisar court convicted Rampal in the 2006 case as also for the murder of four women and a child in 2014. While everyone would have thought this would raise the political temperature in and around Barwala, that has not happened.
A visit to the Satlok Ashram, which is spread over several acres, and is now guarded by Haryana police, revealed not a single soul apart from the cops posted there.
No impact of dera politics in Barwala constituency
A little distance away in Barwala town, people say the happenings of the Ashram never made a difference to their lives. “Almost all the followers of Rampal came from outside. Hardly anyone from the village followed him,” said a taxi operator Kuldeep.
He is right. When in 2014, violence broke out at the Ashram, the authorities had a difficult time not only rescuing Rampal’s followers from inside the premises but also transporting them to their native places. Rampal was himself a follower of Swami Ramdevanand, a spiritual guru of the Kabir panth. Most of the followers of this panth come from socially backward classes. For them a visit to the Ashram used to be a retreat and that is why they came here from different parts of the country.
The Ashram now lies in waste. It was earlier a lavish place with facilities for accommodation and food for nearly 30,000 people. Over the years, several police officers have been booked for stealing from within the premises despite security presence.
‘Contest has shifted from Congress-INLD to Congress rebel-JJP’
In Barwala town, electioneering continues without any discussion on Rampal’s conviction or sentence.
Here the contest is an interesting one with the main political parties facing a tough fight from two rebels. The constituency has around 25 per cent Scheduled Caste voters.
In 2014, Ved Narang of Indian National Lok Dal had polled 34,941 votes and defeated Surender Punia of BJP by 10,261 votes here. The third position was taken by Ram Niwas Rada of Haryana Janhit Congress (Bhajan Lal) while Congress candidate Ram Niwas Ghorela ended in the fourth spot.
The empty Aam Aadmi Party office in Barwala. Photo: Bazil Ashrafi/The Wire
A resident Desh Raj, who owns a mechanic shop, said this time one of the favourites is Jannayak Janata Party’s Jogi Ram Sihag. He was earlier with the BJP and turned a rebel after he was denied a party ticket.
BJP decided to field Surender Punia yet again. The Congress candidate this time is Bhupender Gangwa. Its earlier candidate and Ram Niwas Ghorela, who also became an MLA in 2009, is now contesting as an Independent and is said to be among the frontrunners in the race.
For 15 years it remained a Congress, INLD bastion
Since 2000, the fight in this constituency used to be a straight one between Congress and INLD. Congress won in 2000, 2005 and 2009. However, in 2014 INLD emerged victorious while Congress was relegated to the fourth spot. This time INLD has been replaced by its breakaway faction, the JJP.
As such, people here insist that the contest this time would be between the JJP candidate and a Congress rebel, who had won the seat in 2009.