Jalandhar: Punjab politics witnessed an unprecedented development last week, when the chief of Dera Radha Soami Satsang Beas, headquartered in Amritsar, participated in an ‘anti-drugs awareness walk’ in Ferozepur with leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal president. One of the biggest deras – a kind of spiritual organisation that is popular in Punjab – it had, until now, maintained distance from the media and avoided direct involvement in politics.Unlike some other deras in Punjab, which have a political wing or are known for supporting parties, Dera Beas has maintained a neutral stand in politics. However, when Gurinder Singh Dhillon, the head of the dera, broke with tradition to walk with Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, BJP Punjab working president Ashwani Sharma and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, it raised a political storm.The news spread like wildfire, with many equating it with changing political equations between the Dera Beas and the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly election. It was learnt that after the walk, Dhillon, Sharma and the governor held a 20-minute closed-door meeting. It is unclear whether Badal was present at the meeting.The public appearance of Badal and Sharma together was seen as a step towards re-stitching a SAD-BJP alliance. The parties went their separate ways in 2020 following the passage of the three controversial farm laws.Notably, the approach of the Dera Beas head changed significantly since Dhillon appointed a successor in 2024. He started attending high-profile weddings, celebrations and condolence meetings, and reaching out to key political and religious figures, bringing him into the media glare.Sources at Dera Beas told The Wire that the spiritual head’s sudden shift towards politics could be the fallout of ‘arm twisting’, as Dhillon, and his nephews Malwinder Singh and Shivinder Singh – the promoters of Fortis Healthcare – are involved in a legal battle over alleged financial irregularities.Governor Kataria, who led the rally, wrote on X: “Aimed at building a drug-free and vibrant Punjab, I led a rally against drugs in Ferozepur. The participation of Dera Beas head Gurinder Singh Dhillon, educationists, social organisations and students sent the message that saving youths from drugs was everybody’s united responsibility.”Reacting to the initiative, Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring told the media: “It seems that Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria was leading the ‘Samjhauta Express’ and playing the main role in bringing the SAD and the BJP together.”Also read: Reckless Media Coverage Has Ignored Real Problems of Drug Abuse in PunjabWarring wrote: “I respect the Governor but he should talk to Delhi first. AAP is responsible for drugs in Punjab, as drugs are increasing day by day. But is the central government not responsible for drugs in Punjab? Entire Punjab is on the border. And the BSF’s area of jurisdiction has increased up to 50 kilometres, but every day drugs are coming into Punjab from the border through drones. Despite all this, the Governor is holding a yatra. He should talk to the PM and the Home Minister that our border needs to be strengthened.”Clean chit to Majithia rocks Punjab politicsEarlier, on February 4, when Dhillon met former SAD legislator and ex-minister Bikram Singh Majithia in Nabha Jail, it grabbed media attention. Soon after, the Supreme Court granted bail to Majithia, leading to widespread speculation about the dera chief’s political influence. Majithia was in jail in a disproportionate assets case.Later, speaking to the media, Dhillon said: “Won’t you meet [them] if your relative is in jail? All cases against him are false.” Majithia anfd Dhillon’s neice are married.“I met him [Majithia] and discussed some matters like friends do. I cannot reveal everything in public. But the cases against him are false,” he said.However, when asked if Majithia was framed, the Dera Beas head said it would not be dignified for him to speculate.Radha Soami Satsang Beas chief Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon leaves after a meeting with Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia at the New District Jail, in Patiala district, Punjab, Monday, February 2, 2026. Photo: PTI.Taking a dig at the Dera Beas head without naming him, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann wrote a three-line verse on X: “Kal ban jaan, bhavein aj ban jaan; adaltan da othey rabb rakha; jithe mulaqati hi judge ban jaan (Whether they become important tomorrow or today, God help the courts when visitors to jail themselves become judges).”It was the BJP Punjab leadership that defended the Dera Beas head and attacked Mann. On the other hand, the Congress maintained silence. But the sudden appearance of the Dera Beas on Punjab’s political map has led to curiosity about the outcome of these developments.Set up in the early 1900s and registered as a charitable society on October 11, 1957, the dera enjoys a considerable following among all castes and communities of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra and Gujarat and in other places. The dera has over 5,000 centres in India and abroad.From Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal, ex-Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh to Chief Minister Mann, politicians from different parties have been visiting Dera Beas for long.Wooing dera votes worksNoted scholar and former head of the Political Science Department at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Professor Jagrup Singh Sekhon, said the recent developments indicate the Dera Beas head’s “ambitions”, more so now that he has appointed his successor.“But it is unlikely that the Dera Beas head would contest elections, as has been speculated in the media. However, Gurinder Dhillon’s political movements would influence voters, which is what the BJP-RSS is eyeing,” he said.Also read: Punjab: A Look at Influential Deras and Their Roles in ElectionsSekhon, who has been following the voting patterns of dera followers and their influence on Punjab politics for many years, said the BJP-RSS was following a three-fold strategy of targeting the backward communities, classes and castes.“In Punjab, earlier the BJP’s focus was on religion. Now they are eyeing castes and villages, which is why they approached Dera Sachkhand Ballan, the hub of Ravidassia followers in Punjab, and Dera Beas in Amritsar,” Sekhon said.On its political influence, Sekhon said, primarily, Dera Beas had a pro-Congress leaning because of its secular teachings. “But Gurinder Dhillon became an active part of the SAD after his niece married Bikram Singh Majithia, the brother-in-law of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal,” he said.Majithia’s sister, Harsimrat Kaur, is married to Badal. His wife, Ganeive Kaur Majithia, is a legislator from the Majitha Assembly Constituency in Amritsar. Ganieve Kaur is Gurinder Dhillon’s niece.Citing CSDS-Lokniti electoral surveys that have also examined the influence of deras on voters’ voting patterns, Sekhon said the major shift in dera politics came in the 2007 assembly election, when the Congress government came to power.“At that time, the Sirsa (Haryana)-based Dera Sacha Sauda, led by Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh, had openly declared support for Capt Amarinder Singh,” he said.He said that with the support of Dera Sacha Sauda, Congress won 44 seats out of 117. “Out of this, Congress won 37 seats from the Malwa region alone, which was traditionally a SAD stronghold. Congress won three seats out of 23 in Doaba and four seats out of 27 in the Majha region. Clearly, Dera Sacha Sauda’s impact worked in the Malwa belt and Congress formed the government,” he added.However, he said the pattern of dera politics – conflicts, religious and over dominance – ultimately resulted in the decline of the SAD. “The deras have become a ‘state within a state’ in Punjab, wielding influence over the government in power. Politicians, in turn, seek electoral gains from them,” he said.Dera Beas head wants to be politically activeRaising questions over the Punjab governor’s walk, Chandigarh-based political expert Mohammad Khalid asked whether the governor took the Punjab government into confidence before holding the social event.“Had he invited Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for the anti-drugs awareness walk, the message would have been different. But leading an event with only the SAD and BJP leaders has brought the governor’s programme into a totally different political spotlight. The governor was raising a parallel government in the state,” he said.Khalid said the governor was trying to bring the opposition SAD and the BJP together. “Another question is: did the governor invite the SAD and BJP leaders and Dera Beas head Gurinder Singh Dhillon, or did they come on their own? And if they came on their own, then why not others?” he said.Khalid said if raising awareness against drug use was the concern, he could have sent a message to all district- and village-level dera centres to hold such rallies.“By participating in an event in the presence of BJP and SAD leaders, the Dera Beas head’s message was clear – he wants to be politically active now,” he said.Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta with Radha Soami Satsang Beas spiritual head Gurinder Singh Dhillon during a meeting. Photo: @gupta_rekha/X via PTI PhotoKhalid said that given the recent developments in Punjab – the Padma Shri to Sant Niranjan Das, the visit of the prime minister to Sachkhand Ballan, Gurinder Dhillon’s statements in favour of Majithia, the bail order and then the dera chief’s first-ever participation in a public event – clearly show that the BJP-RSS wants to target the prominent deras of Punjab and win the elections.“But by giving a clean chit to Majithia, the Dera Beas head has challenged the judiciary, police, investigating agencies and the government. It also raises a question: has Majithia got bail with the support of the Union government or Dera Beas head Gurinder Dhillon? Whatever the case may be, it is wrong,” Khalid said.However, on the possibility of a SAD-BJP alliance, Khalid said, “Though both the alliance partners came together publicly, it would be too early to comment on it.”Governor sent all-party invitation: BJP Punjab presidentBJP’s Punjab working president Ashwani Sharma told The Wire it was not a rally but an ‘anti-drugs awareness walk’ that was held, and that people should not jump to conclusions.“Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria led the awareness walk as part of the state’s ongoing campaign to make Punjab drug-free. The governor sent invitations to all political leaders, parties, students, religious and social leaders to join hands against this menace,” he claimed.Sharma said that if none among AAP and Congress leaders came for the awareness walk, it was not their fault. “I participated in the walk along with local BJP leaders. Later, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal also reached the venue, though I did not meet him,” he said.Sharma lashed out at Mann, saying, “While the AAP government blames previous regimes for drugs in the state, their own government has crossed six deadlines to wipe out drugs from Punjab. It reflects the AAP government’s incompetence.”However, on whether a SAD-BJP alliance was all set to be announced, as the erstwhile partners appeared together publicly with the Dera Beas head, Sharma was evasive, “People should not draw political meaning from this anti-drug awareness walk.”Attempt to bring SAD-BJP togetherTalking to The Wire, senior journalist Avtar Singh Shergill said that behind the anti-drugs walk lies an attempt to bring the SAD and BJP together before early next year’s Assembly election.“It was also learnt that in case the alliance is not formalised, in that scenario, Dera Beas head Gurinder Dhillon could also become the CM face of the BJP,” he said.Shergill said that the BJP knows that farmers in Punjab do not support or even accept them. “Keeping these facts in mind, the BJP-RSS has started targeting prominent deras of Punjab – first Dera Sachkhand Ballan and now Dera Beas, which has massive followers among all castes, religions and communities,” he said.“The BJP also knows that it cannot win Punjab alone, hence the strategy to capture deras for electoral gain,” he added.Sources maintained that Dhillon had been unwilling to enter public life, but was convinced (by the BJP-RSS) to take the plunge.“Apart from this, the BJP was also eyeing the Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh, who has been getting repeated paroles. The Sirsa-based dera has a strong influence in the Malwa belt, the largest political region of Punjab. It alone accounts for 69 assembly constituencies,” he said. Punjab has 117 assembly constituencies.Notably, the AAP won 66 out of Malwa’s 69 seats more than any party ever won in this belt, in the last election in 2023.Shergill said Chief Minister Mann was isolated after he took a dig at the Dera Beas head over his meeting with Majithia in jail. “The silence within AAP Punjab and its Delhi leadership was noteworthy. Bhagwant Mann’s statement and that of AAP leader Baltej Pannu could cost the AAP government dear,” he said.