Sacha Sauda's Rebuff of Badal made Vedanti Furious

Amritsar Sahib (KP) – From the surface level it would seem that the recent decision of Jathedar Joginder Vedanti to tackle the problem of dera-vaad in Punjab would be considered a good move from the Gurmat perspective; however due to his underlying motivations, Vedanti has found himself in the midst of controversy once again.  Vedanti has infamously been characterized as being a peon of Nakali Akali Parkash Badal and party and though this recent move may seem to be a positive step at the surface level, Vedanti’s motivations have met substantial criticism.  Anti-Sikh cults and deras have been polluting the Panth for decades, yet prior to the recent state assembly elections Vedanti was completely apathetic to the issue and in fact remained impartial during the Chicago ‘Baba’ and Pehovawala scandals. 

Panthic organizations criticized Vedanti given the fact that he made this decision only after the majority of the prominent deras in the state vowed support to the Congress Party candidates in the assembly elections.  Badal vehemently tried to gain the support of various cults and deras, including the Dera Sacha Sauda cult, by offering bribes, but to no avail as these groups ended up siding with the Congress.

Under normal circumstances this decision would be applauded by Panthic organizations; however Vedanti has come under criticism under the premise that he is working only in the interest of Parkash Badal and not out of a genuine concern for the Sikh Panth.  Indeed the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib is required to remain independent of any and all external pressures in order to uphold the sovereignty of the Panth and is to only act under the motivations of the Guru Panth; not in the interests of any modern day mahants such as Badal.

Following the news that the Congress Party had won over the majority of the votes, Vedanti declared that the Dharam Parchar Committee should initiate more programs and initiatives to counter the anti-Sikh agenda that is being perpetuated by several deras in Punjab, especially in the Malwa region.  Being that the deras comprise, an estimated 1.5 crore followers, political parties on all ends were willing to go to any extent to win them over.  Candidates from both the SAD (B) and the Congress Party invested massive amounts of their campaign funds in gaining the support of various cults and deras and made numerous visits to the self-proclaimed human Guru’s throughout the election.

It is essential to note that anti-Sikh deras and cults, such as the Dera Sacha Sauda and the Radha Swami cult, have played integral roles in causing widespread apostasy amongst the Sikh youth of Punjab and have also been responsible for countless acts of sacrilege against Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

Though tackling this serious issue is of vital importance for the Sikh Panth, the circumstances and motivations under which Vedanti decided to act are dubious to say the least.  This dera-vaad epidemic is a serious issue that the Panth must address as it is causing many vulnerable and ignorant individuals to be lead astray from the path of Gurmat.  Panthic circles have been pressuring Vedanti for many years to take action against these anti-Sikh forces, but at that time he ignored the issue, even when knowing the real agenda of these groups.  Evidently Vedanti continues to be the puppet Jathedar of Mahant Parkash Badal, as this was the first time he has decided to address this issue since becoming Jathedar.  Several critics further noted that by doing the bidding of Badal, Vedanti is being an accessory to the denigration of the sacred Sikh institution. 

Evidently institutions such as the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and the Dharam Parchaar Committee, which were initially established to uphold the sanctity of the Gurdwara Sahib’s have proven themselves ineffective and inept at performing their duties.  Today in Punjab, it is becoming more and more difficult to even see a kesadhari,; while these anti-Sikh cults have been flourishing for years, and all the while Vedanti has remained silent on the issue.  Indeed, in order to get action from Vedanti, one need not talk to him; talk directly to his boss- modern day mahant Parkash Badal.