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Punjab CM to lay foundation stone of Ravidas research centre on Aug 9
Five years later, it is finally inching toward reality amid the AAP government’s year-long celebrations for Guru Ravidas’ 650th Parkash Purb, coinciding with the state assembly elections
In the run-up to the 650th anniversary of Guru Ravidas in February 2027, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann will be laying the foundation stone for construction of the Guru Ravidas Bani Research Centre at Dera Sachkhand Ballan, a prominent spiritual centre of the Ravidassia community, on August 9.
The project was first announced during the Congress regime in 2021 by then chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi.
Five years later, it is finally inching toward reality amid the AAP government’s year-long celebrations for Guru Ravidas’ 650th Parkash Purb, coinciding with the state assembly elections.
The Punjab government has procured nearly 10 acres at Naugaja and Faridpur villages, adjacent to Dera Ballan village, at a cost of ₹7.02 crore for the centre.
“The design and layout plan has been prepared by experts in consultation with representatives of Dera Sachkhand Ballan. The centre’s development will cost around ₹25 crore and includes academic and administrative blocks, hostels, auditoriums and sports arena,” said an official privy to the project.
Power tussle over project
The research centre has been at the centre of a political credit battle between the Congress and the AAP.
When the centre was first announced in 2021, then chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi had sanctioned a ₹50-crore grant and released the first instalment of ₹25 crore on December 31 that year.
After coming to power in 2022, the AAP government withdrew the grant. However, on March 25, 2023, chief minister Bhagwant Mann and then Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal visited Dera Sachkhand Ballan and revived the project, announcing fresh funding of ₹25 crore.
The renewed focus reflects the political importance of Dera Sachkhand Ballan, which commands considerable influence among the Dalit community in the Doaba region.
At 32%, Punjab has the country’s highest proportion of Scheduled Caste population, with nearly 45% based in Doaba, a belt comprising 23 assembly constituencies.
The dera’s electoral influence was evident in the 2022 assembly elections, when the Congress retained its foothold in parts of Doaba despite the AAP sweeping victory across Punjab. Channi remains a frequent visitor to the dera, sharing a close association with its spiritual head Sant Niranjan Dass.
The Centre has also stepped up its outreach to the Ravidassia community in recent months. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the dera on February 1 for Guru Ravidas’ 649th birth anniversary celebrations, while the Centre recently conferred the Padma Shri on Sant Niranjan Dass.
During his July 17 visit to Jalandhar, Modi flagged off a direct train between Chheharta in Amritsar and Seer Govardhanpur in Varanasi, Guru Ravidas’ birthplace, fulfilling a long-pending demand of the community. The BJP has also launched a nationwide ‘Kalash Yatra’ carrying soil from Seer Govardhanpur ahead of the 650th birth anniversary celebrations next year.
