If there is any wave in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections, it's definitely a Dera Wave. The Leader of the Opposition, Mukesh Agnihotri, contesting from Haroli on a Congress ticket, visited Dera Baba Rudru at Nari village on November 2. His opponent, Prof Ram Kumar Sharma of the BJP, will go there on November 5. Other candidates from other constituencies have either already visited the dera, or are trying to fit a dera visit into their busy election schedule. According to Acharya Hemanand, 42, the second in command, this dera is 175 years old. It is headed by Shri Shri 1008 Sugreevanand Ji Maharaj, 95. “Hum kisi ka bhagya nahin badal sakate. Hum kisi party ke sath nahin hain. Jo bhi aashirwaad lene aata hai, hum use aashirwaad zaroor dete hain (We can't change anyone's destiny. We are not associated with any particular party. Whosoever comes to seek our blessings, we bless them for sure),” says Acharya Hemanand. The list of those who have visited the dera reads like the who's who of the political world: the late Virbhadra Singh, his wife Pratibha Singh, former CM Prem Kumar Dhumal, his son and Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur, state Agriculture Minsiter Virender Kanwar and Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar. However, there is one prominent omission: incumbent CM Jai Ram Thakur. “He has not come here even once during his five-year tenure,” says Acharya Hemanand. The daily footfall at the dera is around 500, says Inder Dutt Uniyal, 90, who has been associated with it since 1976. Its followers are spread across Himachal, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and foreign countries, including the USA and UK. The dera has three branches, in Delhi, Haridwar and Amlehar in Una district. It runs a Sanskrit vidyalaya, a gaushala and a 24-hour langar. Acharya Hemanand proudly claims the dera has found a mention in the reality TV show Kaun Banega Crorepati, due to its langar distinction. Although the dera has a visitor's register, it doesn't have a photo display of VIP visits. “VIPs, non-VIPs —everyone is equal for us,” says Acharya Hemanand. Ask him if any leader has requested them for political support, and he says, “No one! Even if they do, we don't influence our sangat (followers)." The same stand is taken by another dera. Called Shri Radha Krishna Mandir, it is located at Kotla Kalan village of Una, and headed by Rashtriya Sant Baba Bal Ji Maharaj, 65. Leaders — local, regional and national — make a beeline for his blessings as well. “Jaise nadi aur vriksha sabke liye hain, vaise hi hum bhi sab ke liye hain. Sabko hamara aashirwaad hai. Main kabhi bhi sangat to kisi vishesh party ke liye vote dalane ke liye nahi kehata (We're like a river or a tree, which are for all. Our blessings are for all. I never ask my followers to vote for a particular party),” he says. Unlike Dera Baba Rudru, though, photographs of visits by political leaders here find pride of place on the walls of a room in 'Maharaj ji ki kutiya'. You can see pictures of the late Virbhadra Singh, Prem Kumar Dhumal, Anurag Thakur, Virender Kanwar and former Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal on display. In one photograph, Congress leader Mukesh Agnihotri and BJP leader Satpal Singh Satti can be seen sharing a stage with Baba Bal Ji. Interestingly, pictures of CM Jai Ram Thakur can be seen on display here. He has visited the dera quite a few times. The secretary of Shri Radha Krishna Mandir Trust, Kishore Chand, says around 250-300 people visit it daily. As it is located near the regional government hospital and the railway station, the needy come here regularly, as do students from outside who study at Una. Chand claims the dera's followers are spread all over the country. The dera or ashram stands on the ancestral property of Baba Bal Ji. People flock to the dera under the belief that Baba Bal Ji carries the divine blessings of the mythical Baba Balak Nath — with politicians taking the lead in poll season. In these parts, the dera wave is considered 'cool'— literally, socially, and politically. No wonder then that the Prime Minister will hope to mix the proverbial Modi lehar with the Dera Wave, when he visits the Dera Radha Soami at Beas in Amritsar, before launching his election campaign for Himachal on November 5. It pays to pay obeisance to the deras.
