CHANDIGARH: The ongoing confrontation between Akal Takht and Dera Sacha Sauda is bound to have political ramifications in Punjab and the first test of it would be elections of the five Municipal Corporations due to be held in the month of June.

The dispute between Sikhs and dera Sacha Sauda has its roots in the political clash between the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Congress party. The Congress alleged to have exploited dera Saucha Sauda chief Baba Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh to extend support in the Punjab assembly elections. The dera supporters based in Malwa region had voted for Congress which eroded the SAD vote bank.

The political observer said that Congress had gained little by taking dera’s support and in return lost the faith of Sikh community. After operation blue star in 1984, the Congress was projected as number one enemy of Sikhs and it took more than 20 years for the party to rebuild its confidence among Sikhs. At least major section of moderate Sikhs had returned to Congress fold and helped the Congress to regain power in 2002.

 It is understood that Congress leaders had gone for dera’s support out of sheer lust for power despite the fact that they had lost ground in the state largely due to non-governance and corruption.

The SAD think tanks understood to have taken the task of neutralizing the dera impact before going for local bodies elections in Punjab. Perhaps under this scheme of things, the MC elections which were due in May were postponed to June. If dispute continued for some more time, the election may be deferred to July, the government sources believe.

The dera Sacha Sauda dispute has brought Sikhs belonging to different streams and political affiliations at one platform on the issue of dera chief’s attempt to project himself equal to Guru Gobind Singh. SAD has got an opportunity to strike back on Congress and successfully projected the Congress real enemy of Sikhs. The Congress is blamed for all the ills of Baba Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh.

Going by the present developments, the dera Sacha Sauda is unlikely to extend support to Congress party in the civic elections. After Municipal Corporation elections, the election of Municipal Committees and Panchayat elections due in June 2008 would be other litmus tests for the Congress to prove its might.

The Congress party had won 44 seats in the last assembly elections from Malwa sector and was wiped out in Majha and Doaba regions. The number of seats won by Congress had helped Punjab Congress leaders in face saving but the damage they had done by losing the confidence of Sikh community is irreparable.

It would be in the interest of  ruling SAD to prolong the dispute with dera Sacha Sauda even as its ruling partner BJP has shown certain reservations about continuing the dispute keeping in view its urban voters who may not like hard liners ruling the roost in Punjab.