Dera wants to focus on social service work only: Sources

MOHALI: Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is serving life sentence in cases of blasphemy, sexual abuse and murder, has left politics. He has dissolved the political wing of his dera. Ram Rahim has told his followers that the Dera will no longer have a political wing.

It is worth noting that till now, the political wing was used to decide which political party to support in the elections. 24 hours before voting, he used to send related messages to lakhs of Dera followers through his network. 

The political wing of Dera Sacha Sauda was formed a year before the 2007 Punjab Assembly elections. After Ram Rahim was convicted for the first time in 2017, in the last few elections, the Dera has been messaging its followers to vote for the BJP. However, the Dera has never openly supported it. Now, 9 months before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Ram Rahim's decision to dissolve the Dera's political wing is quite shocking.

According to sources associated with the Dera, Ram Rahim took this decision because the Dera wants to focus on social service work only. All political parties continue to attack BJP for Ram Rahim's release from jail on parole. To avoid such controversies, dera chief has dissolved the political wing.