Chandigarh: An X post by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in which he seemingly took a dig at Radha Soami Dera Beas head Gurinder Singh Dhillon’s meeting with jailed Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia has triggered a political storm in the state.
The Opposition Tuesday trained its guns at the CM for “insulting” the dera chief even as Majithia, a former Punjab cabinet minister, walked out of jail after being granted bail by the Supreme Court in a disproportionate assets case.
The Radha Soami Dera Beas is one of the most powerful deras in Punjab, commanding influence over lakhs of followers across North India.
On Tuesday morning, CM Mann wrote on X in Punjabi: “Kal ban jaan bhaave ajj ban jaan, adaltan da othe rabb rakha, jithe mulakati hee judge ban jaan (They may turn tomorrow or they may turn today…god save those courts where the visitor (to a prisoner in jail) turns judge.”
ਕੱਲ੍ਹ ਬਣ ਜਾਣ ਭਾਵੇਂ ਅੱਜ ਬਣ ਜਾਣ
ਅਦਾਲਤਾਂ ਦਾ ਓਥੇ ਰੱਬ ਰਾਖਾ
ਜਿੱਥੇ ਮੁਲਾਕਾਤੀ ਹੀ ਜੱਜ ਬਣ ਜਾਣ …
— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) February 3, 2026
The tongue in cheek post seemed to refer to the Dera Beas chief’s meeting with Majithia in the Nabha jail Monday. In a rare gesture, the dera head met media persons outside the prison after the meeting and told them that Majithia was innocent.
“He is my friend and I have come to meet my friend like anyone else would… all allegations against him are false… he is in high spirits,” said Dhillon.
Asked if the Punjab government had wrongly confined Majithia, Dhillon said it would not be appropriate for him to comment on the working of the government. “I am here to fulfill my duty. It is for the government to do what they have to do.”
On Monday, the Supreme Court had granted bail to Majithia in a disproportionate assets case registered against him by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau. Majithia was arrested in June last year and had been in the high security jail at Nabha for the past seven months.
The Dera chief is related to Majithia’s wife Ganieve Kaur, currently the MLA from Majitha. Dhillon has visited Majithia in jail more than once in the past few months. The last meeting was in September 2025.
Reacting to Mann’s poetry, BJP state chief Sunil Jakhar wrote on X: Sadhu bole sehaj subhaav, saadh ka keha birtha na jaaye (Saints speak with calmness, so whatever they speak never goes to waste) referring to the Dera chief’s visit.
. @BhagwantMann ji,
ਸਾਧੂ ਬੋਲੇ ਸਹਿਜ ਸੁਭਾਅ
ਸਾਧ ਕਾ ਕਿਹਾ ਬਿਰਥਾ ਨਾਂ ਜਾਏ।
— Sunil Jakhar (@sunilkjakhar) February 3, 2026
Speaking to media persons Monday Jakhar had said that Dhillon was a saint and his meeting had worked like a “blessing” as the news of Majithia getting bail from the Supreme Court came within hours of it.
BJP leader and chairman of the National Commission for Minorities Iqbal Singh Lalpura also took on the Punjab government. “Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon is a saint and a courageous voice. In a constitutional democracy, every person is innocent until guilt is proved. Baba Ji has rightly reminded us of this principle. The police cannot act as judge and jury. Due process must prevail,” he wrote on X.
Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon is a saint and a courageous voice. In a constitutional democracy, every person is innocent until guilt is proved. Baba Ji has rightly reminded us of this principle. The police cannot act as judge and jury. Due process must prevail.
— Iqbal Singh Lalpura (@ILalpura) February 3, 2026
Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira too turned poetic in response to the CM’s apparent sarcasm, writing on X:
“Jado auda hankaar vich tabdeel hoje
Jado jhoot sarkaar dee daleel hoje
Jado chora naam CM dee deal hoje
Saari vajarat dee jeebhan fer seal hoje
Lahu parja da raaje layi chabeel hoje
Us sube da sacchi fer rabb rakha!”
(When a position turns one arrogant, when falsehoods are the best arguments, when the CM seals deals with thieves, and then the entire system chooses to remain silent, when the blood of the people is the sweetened water for the king…then only god can save the state!)
ਜਦੋਂ ਅਹੁਦਾ ਹੰਕਾਰ ਵਿੱਚ ਤਬਦੀਲ ਹੋਜੇ
ਜਦੋਂ ਝੂਠ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਦੀ ਦਲੀਲ ਹੋਜੇ
ਜਦੋਂ ਚੋਰਾਂ ਨਾਲ CM @BhagwantMann ਦੀ ਡੀਲ ਹੋਜੇ
ਸਾਰੀ ਵਜ਼ਾਰਤ ਦੀ ਜੀਭਾ ਫ਼ਿਰ ਸੀਲ ਹੋਜੇ
ਲਹੂ ਪਰਜਾ ਦਾ ਰਾਜੇ ਲਈ ਛਬੀਲ ਹੋਜੇ
ਉਸ ਸੂਬੇ ਦਾ ਸੱਚੀਂ ਫ਼ਿਰ ਰੱਬ ਰਾਖਾ ! https://t.co/9zPbkWXhvg
— Sukhpal Singh Khaira (@SukhpalKhaira) February 3, 2026
Issuing a press statement, Khaira condemned Mann for what he called use of “derogatory and cheap language to target and humiliate Baba Gurinder Singh Ji, Head of the Radha Swami Satsang Beas, over his meeting with Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia”.
Khaira said it was “highly unfortunate and condemnable” that a sitting chief minister chose to drag a respected spiritual leader into political mudslinging merely because of a social meeting. He added that spiritual and religious leaders often meet people from different walks of life, and politicising such interactions reflects poorly on the dignity of the Chief Minister’s office.
“Targeting Baba Gurinder Singh Ji and questioning his integrity or intentions through cheap remarks is an attack on the sentiments of lakhs of followers who hold him in high esteem. Political differences cannot justify disrespect towards spiritual figures,” he said.
Reacting to Mann’s X post, Majithia said the dera chief should be large-hearted and forgive the CM. “In fact I would request the dera chief to admit Mann to the dera and help him get over his liquor problem. Mann’s wife and mother will thank us.”
Majithia was greeted by hundreds of supporters after he was released from Nabha jail. Addressing his supporters and media persons, he said CM was free to register any number of cases against them but he will continue to raise the voice of Punjabis from every platform.
On Monday, a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta granted bail to Majithia on his plea challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s order that denied him bail in the disproportionate assets case. The top court noted that Majithia has been in custody in the case for the last seven months.
In its 4 December order, the high court had dismissed Majithia’s bail plea, observing that the possibility of him influencing the investigation could not be ruled out. In a 30-page order, Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya, while directing the Punjab Vigilance Bureau to complete its probe within three months, had said Majithia can thereafter seek his release on bail.
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau had arrested Majithia on 25 June last year in the disproportionate assets case that allegedly involved accumulation of Rs 540 crore. On 18 August, Majithia was denied bail by Additional Sessions Judge Hardip Singh.
During remand hearings, a Mohali court had earlier allowed the state police to curtain the entire courtroom, including the windows to ensure that Majithia is neither seen by media persons nor able to interact with them. During his various appearances in the case while in police remand, the police even barricaded the court premises. The parking area where Majithia’s vehicle was brought was also curtained to stop the press from accessing him.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Also Read: An ‘admission’, a denial: What happened at Bhagwant Mann’s meeting with Akal Takht