Come polls, netas queue up to seek dera chief's blessings

SIRSA: With assembly elections round the corner, leaders of all political parties are making a beeline at the Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda to seek blessings of sect head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
Among the leaders who visited the dera on Wednesday night included Randeep Singh Surjewala and Kuldeep Sharma of Congress. They held a closed door meeting with Gurmeet Singh.
BJP candidate from Sirsa, Sunita Setia's husband Rahul Setia and Haryana Janhit Congress leader Dura Ram also visited the dera chief.
After the meeting, Kuldeep Sharma said he used to visit the dera several times and this trip had nothing to do with elections. "I am here to seek blessings from the dera chief," he said.
At a press conference after flagging off flood relief material to Jammu and Kashmir, the dera chief said, "This is not the first time leaders are coming to seek blessings. During every election, top leaders visit the dera and meet me."
"Political leaders do always come to me to seek blessings. I know the motive of those political leaders, but they should understand our motive also. The political leaders should tell us in writing that they will work to remove drug addiction and female foeticide from the country. After this, the political wing of the dera will consider whom to vote for," he said.
In 2009 elections, female foeticide was one of the most important criterion set by the dera chief for supporting a particular candidate.
Opinion gathering
The dera has set up six teams, which visited different areas of Haryana and collected sect followers' opinion on candidates and political parties in each constituency. The teams include members of dera's political affairs wing.
Dera spokesman Pawan Insan said Team A visited Sonipat, Rai, Gohana and Gannaur on Tuesday; Team B went to Bilaspur, Sadhora, Khijrabad, Jagadhri, Mustfabad, Yamunanagar, Jathlana and Radaur; Team C visited Gharaunda, Kunjpura, Nilokheri, Karnal and Indri; Team D went to Dabwali, Ellenabad, Sirsa, Rampur Theri, Rania and Kalyan Nagar; Team E went to Mahendragarh, Ateli, Rewari, Narnaul and Kosli; and Team F went to Kurukshetra, Ladwa, Shahbad, Ismailabad, Pipli, Babain and Mandheri.