Pilgrim’s progress for candidates as religion dominates poll discourse

Aparna Banerji

Jalandhar, April 28

With Jalandhar district witnessing a fierce contest between stalwarts ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, religion continues to dominate the electoral discourse with leaders making a beeline for deras, temples and shrines.

After the venerated Ravidassiya shrine of Dera Sachkhand Ballan, the Dalit power centre that remains the most sought-after religious place for politicians ahead of the elections, Devi Talab Mandir is the second most visited religious site in Jalandhar followed by a host of temples and deras. Darbar Sahib has also been visited at least once by all candidates after getting the party ticket.

While traditionally deras were more frequently visited by candidates, the potent urban Hindu vote bank in Jalandhar and the fad for temples after the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya this January has made politicians visit temples. Amidst the clamour for satiating myriad religious and caste power bases, people’s issues have taken a relatively back seat in the constituency.

On January 22, 2024, the day of the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, lakhs of people congregated at Shri Devi Talab Mandir in Jalandhar, one of the 52 revered Shaktipeeths, to mark the occasion. The unprecedented number at the temple denoted the impact of the occasion among Jalandhar residents. At least two Jalandhar candidates have also visited the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

Congress candidate and former CM Charanjit Singh Channi paid obeisance at the Ram Mandir and Gurdwara Brahmkund Sahib in Ayodhya weeks ago. Jalandhar MP Sushil Rinku, then still with the AAP, also visited the Ram Temple in February.

Meanwhile, key national leaders such as Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal also made it a point to pay respects at Devi Talab Mandir during their visits to the city. PM Narendra Modi had also famously taken a jibe at the AAP government during his visit to Jalandhar ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections, for his inability to visit the temple due to security reasons.

Amidst the ongoing campaign in Jalandhar, BJP candidate Sushil Rinku visited the Chintpurni temple with his wife today. On Saturday, accompanied by AAP Jalandhar candidate Pawan Tinu, CM Bhagwant Mann’s wife Dr Gurpreet Kaur with daughter Niyamat and CM’s sister Manpreet Kaur paid obeisance at Balaji Temple in Jalandhar. The CM and his wife also called on Baba Kashmira Singh, philanthropist and dera leader, Jalandhar.

SAD candidate Mohinder Singh Kaypee also went on a whirlwind tour of religious sites recently, visiting seven shrines in Jalandhar and Amritsar in a single day.

Other religious sites frequented ahead of elections include Bhagwan Valmiki Yog Ashram, Bhartiya Valmiki Dharma Samaj, Dera Baba Preetam Das, Kabir Temple, Geeta Mandir, Talhan Sahib and Model Town Gurdwara, among a host of other religious places.

Meanwhile, Charanjit Singh Channi of the Congress reached out to Muslim and Christian communities holding visits to a mosque on Eid-ul-Fitr and the Bishop’s house as well as Open Door Church at Khojewal. The United Pastors Association also extended support to him on Friday. The AAP road show on Friday also witnessed support from members of the Muslim community.

The Congress poll campaign in Jalandhar even witnessed party leaders invoking the Mahabharata to trade barbs at each other, with candidate Channi and Phillaur MLA Vikramjit Chaudhary referring to each other as ‘Duryodhan’ and ‘Shakuni’.

While the BSP is a party which upholds the ideals of Dr BR Ambedkar, the BSP candidate Balwinder Kumar has also visited the Darbar Sahib and Durgiana Temple in Amritsar and Dera Sackhand Ballan, including a host of other deras in Jalandhar.

Muslim leader Naeem quits AAP, joins Cong

Jalandhar: Advocate Naeem Khan, head of a Muslim organisation, left AAP and joined the Congress along with hundreds of his supporters. Former Chief Minister Charanjit Channi welcomed him into the party fold. After joining the party, Channi made him his OSD. “Channi said he will strongly raise the voice of the Muslim community in the Lok Sabha and will solve the problems faced by the community on a priority basis,” Khan shared. — TNS

Most sought-after religious places

After the venerated Ravidassiya shrine of Dera Sachkhand Ballan, the Dalit power centre that remains the most sought-after religious place for politicians ahead of the elections, Devi Talab Mandir is the second most visited religious site in Jalandhar followed by a host of temples and deras. Darbar Sahib has also been visited at least once by all candidates after getting the party ticket.