NEW DELHI: Divided across party lines, the Khaps and Deras (caste and religious social organisations), once dominant in Haryana’s politics, have now almost lost their political clout.
Sanjeet Yadav, a scholar of Kurukshetra University, told The Sunday Guardian: “For decades, the Khaps have been enjoying control over the social and political lives of the people of Haryana. Mostly active in the villages, the Khaps, with the help of caste-based diktats, have always been influencing the political choices of lakhs of voters in every election. However, the rise of the Narendra Modi wave after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and the new social engineering of the Bharatiya Janata Party led to the end of the Khaps’ dominance in Haryana’s political landscape.” Unlike in the past when the Khaps would openly support a political leader or a party, many of these Khaps are now avoiding showing their support to any political party openly. Similarly, the Deras of Haryana have been losing their influence over the years.
Experts see the rising dominance of the BJP, a weakened Opposition and multi-party contest as some of the reasons behind the fall in the dominance of the Khaps in Haryana. “Not only has the Modi wave put an end to the dominance of the Khaps in Haryana, but the rise of a multi-party contest has also led to the division of Khaps across party lines. Multi-party contest has certainly given an upper hand to the BJP. Also, the BJP’s non-Jat-OBC backed social engineering formula has altered the old voting patterns in the state and has almost neutralised the Khaps’ hegemony in Haryana. The waning importance of the Khaps was in evidence last month when the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) struck down a negotiation offer suggested by the Khaps. Both regional parties are headed by factions of the Chautala family,” Yadav added. Somesh Dahiya of Dahiya Khap told The Sunday Guardian: “Every Khap representative now is looking for their political future and running behind parties for securing Assembly poll tickets, either for themselves or their family members. Several old Khaps are supporting dynasts like the JJP and INLD, while some have come out to support the Congress and BJP. Khaps are not united but are divided on the ground.”
Sher Singh Malik, another Khap leader, representative of the Malik Khap, said: “Khaps now are also divided on social issues. Some Khaps are pushing for the amendment of the Hindu Marriage Act to ban inter-caste and inter-clan marriages, but there are other Khaps who are attempting a makeover and supporting the modernisation of Khaps.”
In Haryana, there are 92 Khaps that dominate the social and political spaces and are spread across the eight districts of Haryana. The influence of Khaps has always been concentrated in Jat dominated areas. Prominently, Kandela Khap, Binain Khap, Sarvajat Khap, Maham Chaubisi Khap and Gatwala Malik Khap play an important role in the elections.
According to experts, not only the Khaps, in Haryana, there are about as many as 10-12 Deras which also dominate the political choices of their followers. Half a dozen Deras, including Dera Sacha Sauda, Dera Samain, Sant Nirankari Mission and Radha Swami Satsang, have a significant impact in the state. The followers of these Deras are not limited to one region, but are spread across the state.