Farmers Movement Archive

Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu visits Dalit deras with ministers, MLAs

JALANDHAR: Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu along with party MLAs and ministers, belonging to the Scheduled Castes, on Friday visited two major Ravidassia community deras — Sachkhand Ballan and Sant Pritam Dass Dera Babe Jaure. They first called on Sant Niranjan Dass, who heads Dera Ballan, which is the biggest dera of Ravidassia-Adi-dharmi community and quite influential especially in Doaba region. Sant Nirmal Dass told Sidhu that youngsters from their community were also desperate to move abroad as they were not getting employment here. When farm unions Kirti Kisan Union and BKU (Rajewal) members came to know of his visit to the dera, they tried to reach there but were stopped by police. Later, the PPCC chief and his team called on Sant Nirmal Dass of Babe Jaure, who heads Sri Guru Ravidass Sadhu Sampardai Society, a conglomerate of several deras of the community. Sidhu said he had come there to get the blessings so that their party could “help the last man in the row”. He was honoured by Sant Niranjan Dass. Among those accompanying Sidhu were ministers Charanjit Singh Channi, Aruna Chaudhary, two working presidents Sukhwinder Danny and Sangat Singh Giljian, 15 SC MLAs , former Union minister Santosh Chaudhary, former PCC president Mohinder Singh Kapyee and other SC leaders of Congress.

The Times of India

2021-08-07

Ludhiana