Dera Radha Soami’s top brass has a busy day, parties have some sleepless moments

Unusually for the notoriously tight-lipped Dera, both these announcements were made via press releases.

So, as of now, the Dera patron and spiritual head, ‘Sant Satguru’ Gurinder Singh Dhillon, who has been around for 35 years, stays. The one he had nominated to be the new Sant Satguru and to give “naam (initiation)”, a relative called Jasdeep Singh Gill, will now “succeed him in the future” – though the two will “work together and share responsibilities”.

On Tuesday, therefore, Gurinder Singh and Gill held a joint congregation at the Dera – also a rarity.

The brief duration for which Gill remained the new Dera head had seen a buzz in social media about his impressive credentials, including a master’s degree in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology followed by a doctorate from the University of Cambridge.

However, at least one side viewed the development with apprehension, particularly so close to the Haryana polls. While the Dera never issues public statements in favour of a political front, and is seen to rather lend its weight by candidate, the BJP is seen as having an edge – particularly since the financial scandal that jolted Ranbaxy and the allegations that landed at the doorstep of Gurinder Singh.

Leaders of other parties too have nurtured relations with the Dera’s leadership, and a new Sant Satguru would have meant that all of them would have had to start afresh.

The Dera commands a following among upper-caste Punjabi Hindu and Sikhs in both Punjab and Haryana, and its influence extends to some extent to Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Rajasthan and Jammu.

The news that Gurinder Singh could be stepping down was met with dismay by the Dera followers, with many expressing concern over the Sant Satguru’s health. The Dera had to rush out a statement to settle those doubts.

On Tuesday, when Gurinder Singh held a joint congregation with Gill, there were many moist eyes.

Still feeling their way around, political parties remained quiet on the developments at the Dera, with the Congress and BJP refusing to comment.

Apart from what it might mean in the political sphere, a smooth transition is also important given the prime properties the Dera controls, from a township spread over 3,000 acres in Amritsar that is home to some 18,000 people, and includes a helipad, to the many Satsang Bhawans across several major cities.

Was Gill the first option?

When Fortis Healthcare Executive Vice-Chairman Shivinder Singh stepped down from his position to join the Dera in 2015, he was widely seen as the prospective successor of Gurinder Singh. Along with brother Malvinder, Shivinder ran the pharma company Ranbaxy and the two figured on the Forbes’s list of billionaires.

The family had an association with the Dera, with the brothers’ maternal grandfather, Charan Singh, having been the Sant Satguru before Gurinder Singh.

Later, however, Gurinder Singh and the Ranbaxy brothers had a falling out over financial issues.

In 2019, Malvinder and Shivinder were arrested for allegedly diverting funds and causing a loss of Rs 2,397 crore to Religare Finvest Ltd (RFL), a subsidiary of Religare Enterprises Ltd.

In September 2019, the Delhi High Court asked 55 entities and individuals, including Gurinder Singh, his family members and various companies owned by them or by Dera associates, to pay dues of over Rs 3,000 to the Ranbaxy brothers.

In 2020, the Economic Offences Wing of the Delhi Police issued a notice to Gurinder Singh and summons to his two sons in the case.

It was around this time that the Dera started becoming more public about its political associations, putting out pictures of Gurinder Singh with various leaders, particularly PM Modi.