Bhagwant Mann’s swipe at Radha Soami Satsang Beas chief sparks political storm, exposes unease within AAP

Without naming Dhillon, Mann wrote that only God could save the courts when visitors to an undertrial start acting as judges. After his meeting with Majithia, the second in a little over four months, Dhillon said he had discussed “certain matters like friends do”. “I cannot divulge everything in public, but the cases against him are false,” he added. When asked whether Majithia was being framed, Dhillon declined to comment, saying it would not be “in my dignity” to speculate.

In January, Mann had accused Rasokhana Nabh Kanwal Raja Sahib Gurdwara of possessing 169 “unauthorised” saroops, claiming that 139 of them lacked proper records and were linked to the 328 saroops missing from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).

The remarks triggered a backlash within the party. Banga MLA Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi, who also chairs the Punjab State Container and Warehousing Corporation, or CONWARE, resigned from the post in protest. The issue was eventually defused after the intervention of Finance Minister Harpal Cheema, Education Minister Harjot Bains and Anandpur Sahib MP Malvinder Singh Kang, who visited the gurdwara and said there was no issue related to the saroops. The matter then died down.

Cause for concern

Even as the party was still grappling with concerns that taking on religious institutions could hurt it electorally, Mann’s remarks on Dhillon have opened another front. Radha Soami Satsang Beas wields considerable influence among voters, prompting fresh unease within AAP ranks.

Sources said Cabinet Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian was in touch with Dhillon. “Mundian is handling the issue. He is in touch with Baba ji. There is a feeling in AAP that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was behind the episode. We are trying to find a middle path,” said an AAP leader, requesting anonymity.

An hour after Dhillon met Majithia on Monday, the Supreme Court granted the SAD leader bail, paving the way for his release after seven months in jail. Majithia was arrested by the Vigilance Bureau in June last year in a disproportionate assets case allegedly linked to laundering nearly Rs 540 crore of drug money. He was released on bail on Tuesday. Majithia is a close relative of the Dera chief.

Amid the controversy, state AAP president Aman Arora appeared to distance the party from Mann’s remarks. “It was his private visit. Baba ji is honourable for me. I cannot raise questions on his statement or decision. I do not have that standing. We do not need to politicise it,” he said on Tuesday.

Cheema also downplayed the issue. “Anybody can go to meet anyone in jail if they are relatives. There is no controversy. The matter is sub judice,” he said, while reiterating that Majithia had amassed wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income and would be punished as per the law.

Political storm triggered

BJP spokesperson Pritpal Singh Baliawal reacted to Mann’s post, saying on Instagram, “Excess of everything is bad. Now you have even started schooling spiritual leaders? Baba Gurinder Singh Ji is the nucleus of faith for millions.”

SAD chief spokesperson Arshdeep Singh Kaler described the post as “distressing,” saying it directly challenged constitutional values and sacred institutions.

BJP leader Ravneet Bittu said the chief minister “has not shed his stage habit” and “thinks he can cross all limits.”

Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa demanded that AAP clarify whether Mann’s remarks reflected the party’s official stand or his personal opinion. In a social media post, Bajwa said he was deeply pained by the comment, which he claimed had hurt the religious sentiments of lakhs of followers in India and abroad. He said such remarks were alien to Punjab’s cultural and spiritual ethos, where saints and spiritual leaders have traditionally been held in high regard.

The AAP is also worried about Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting Dera Sachkhand Ballan in Jalandhar and meeting its head Sant Niranjan Dass. The dera holds influence among the Ravidassia Dalit community.