Punjab Congress chief Pargat Singh meets Dera Beas chief Gurinder Singh Dhillon

Jalandhar. A month into his job as Punjab Congress president, Pargat Singh on Sunday called on Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon, head of Radha Soami Satsang Beas, and sought his blessings. With this, the Congress has joined rival parties in seeking the goodwill of one of Punjab’s most influential deras, whose head shared public platforms with Akali and BJP leaders earlier this year.

The meeting comes with the state only a few months away from polls. Five months ago, Punjab BJP’s newly appointed president Kewal Singh Dhillon started his outreach drive with a visit to Dera Beas to seek the dera head’s blessings. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini met the dera head the very next day.

Pargat Singh exchanged pleasantries with the dera head and stressed the need to keep peace, communal harmony, brotherhood and unity intact in Punjab, “particularly in the context of the prevailing social and political environment”, according to a statement issued after the meeting.

He listed the state’s problems: the future of its youth, the drug menace, social harmony and overall prosperity. “Punjab is facing several challenges today. These require a constructive and collective response from all sections of society,” he said.

The Congress chief said the state’s progress cannot rest on the government alone. “The progress of Punjab cannot be ensured through government efforts alone. It requires the active participation and shared responsibility of every section of society,” he said.

On the role of faith, he said, “The teachings of saints and spiritual leaders inspire society to follow the path of service, humility, love and humanity.” He added that the message spread by spiritual institutions builds mutual trust, harmony and brotherhood.

Punjab, he said, has always given the country a message of love, communal harmony and service to humanity, and protecting that legacy is everyone’s duty. He prayed for peace, unity, prosperity and a bright future for the state. “Safeguarding Punjab’s social unity and shared heritage must remain a collective commitment of every Punjabi,” he said.

Why the meeting matters

Pargat Singh’s focus on drugs touches the same issue on which the dera head made a rare political appearance this year. In February, Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon walked in an anti-drug awareness march in Ferozepur led by Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, alongside SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal and BJP Punjab working president Ashwani Sharma. Then Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring mocked the event, saying the Governor was running a “Samjhauta Express” to bring the SAD and BJP back together.

The same month, the dera head met Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia in jail and said the cases against him were false. Majithia’s wife, Majitha MLA Ganieve Kaur Majithia, is the dera head’s niece.

Political scientist Jagrup Singh Sekhon, former head of political science at Guru Nanak Dev University, told The Wire that the dera traditionally leaned towards the Congress because of its secular teachings, but its head drew closer to the SAD after his niece married Majithia.

The dera has a following across castes and communities in several states and runs more than 5,000 centres in India and abroad. Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon has headed it since 1990. In September 2024, he named Jasdeep Singh Gill as his successor.

Pargat Singh, a former India hockey captain, played at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics. He is a three-time MLA from Jalandhar Cantonment and a former Cabinet minister. The Congress named him PPCC president on October 2, after Warring resigned.