Trouble appears to be brewing at the Dera Sachkhand Ballan in Jalandhar, with rival groups of devotees, owing allegiance to the ruling AAP and the BJP, at loggerheads over who enjoys closer access to dera chief Sant Niranjan Dass and how the institution should be managed.The flashpoint is the BJP’s proposed Samarasta Sankalp Yatra, scheduled to begin from Jalandhar on November 18 and conclude in Varanasi on December 3. The event is a part of the 650th Guru Ravidas Jayanti celebrations falling on February 20, 2027, close to the Punjab Assembly elections. Besides being Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency, Varanasi is also the birthplace of Guru Ravidas, revered by the Ravidassia community that owes allegiance to Dera Ballan.The yatra is expected to travel across Punjab and key areas in Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi before culminating in Varanasi. In Punjab, it is proposed to pass through districts with sizeable Dalit population, including Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Ferozepur and Muktsar.The pro-BJP Ravidassia devotees want the yatra to be flagged off from the dera, with BJP national president Nitin Nabin expected to attend. The party is also planning a large gathering of supporters and community members for the launch.However, pro-AAP devotees have objected to it, calling it “politicisation” of thedera. They allege that Sant Niranjan Dass is not being allowed to meet the sangat. Social media posts against dera trustees Hardev Heer and Babbu have also surfaced wherein they have been accused of wielding “extraordinary” authority.The dissenting group wants the launch shifted to Guru Ravidas Dham at Buta Mandi or some other venue.Punjab BJP SC Morcha president and former MLA Sheetal Angural told The Tribune, “We are only trying to keep the starting point near Ballan. We are not starting it from the Dera itself. We are inviting the entire Sant Samaj to the launch. We may shift the launch venue to near Shri Khuralgarh Sahib, the meditation site of Guru Ravidas.”On Tuesday, lawyers LM Gulati and Sonia Tanwar raised concerns, alleging that Hardev Heer and Babbu were attempting to take control of the dera’s financial affairs and keeping the dera chief in the dark on key matters.“The dera chief, being 85, is not keeping well and they have plans to take over the reins from him. The sangat, especially from Haryana, is not allowed to meet the dera head,” Tanwar alleged.The allegations were rejected as baseless by Satpal Virdi, former general secretary of the Dera Ballan Trust. “Sant Niranjan Dass is fit and continues to meet the sangat regularly. There is an attempt to defame the dera. The dera is completely apolitical. Leaders of all parties are welcomed here,” he said.The trouble began about a month ago, when dera preacher Sant Mandeep Dass was shifted from Ballan to Sirsagarh branch near Ambala. About a week later, the dera announced his boycott, along with that of his supporter Jassi Talhan, a Dalit activist.Pro-AAP devotees, who spoke to The Tribune on condition of anonymity, alleged Dass was sidelined under pressure from the pro-BJP faction.Sant Niranjan Dass and Dera Ballan have found themselves at the centre of an increasingly public dispute. Over the years, the dera head has been photographed with Prime Minister Modi on multiple occasions. He was subsequently conferred the Padma Shri. Most recently, in July, he met the Prime Minister at Jalandhar Cantonment railway station during the flagging off of a train for Varanasi.