BJP defends Dera Beas chief after CM takes dig over Majithia meeting

Jalandhar: Hours after Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann took a subtle dig at Radha Soami Satsang Beas head Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon over his meeting with SAD functionary Bikram Singh Majithia on Monday, BJP on Tuesday defended the preacher and flayed the CM. Soon after the Dera Beas head's visit, the Supreme Court had granted bail to Majithia. CM Mann wrote a three-line verse on his social media accounts to take the dig: "Kall ban jaan, bhavein ajj ban jaan; adaltana da othe rabb rakha; jithe mulakati he judge ban jaan (whether it happens tomorrow or today, courts will be left to God's mercy, where (jail) visitors themselves become judges)."On Monday, AAP leaders were measured in their reaction. Finance minister Harpal Cheema said: "The Dera chief heads a big organisation. He is probably related to Majithia, and that is why he went to meet him." AAP leader Baltej Pannu said, "The Dera Beas head is a respected personality, and he should not have gone to jail. Sants are above relations." Almost an hour after the CM's post, Punjab BJP leaders started reacting. Within hours, it turned into a full-fledged defence of the Dera Beas head, his remark, and to attack the CM.Punjab BJP senior spokesperson Pritpal Singh Baliawal was the first to react. "Now you have started targeting spiritual leaders, chief minister; this is wrong. Baba Gurinder Singh Ji, the head of Radha Soami Satsang Beas, is the centre of faith for millions of people, but who will make you understand? The followers of the dera and the people of Punjab will respond to this insult," he said.National Commission for Minorities chairman Iqbal Singh Lalpura called Dhillon 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. Police cannot act as judge and jury. Due process must prevail," he added.Later, Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar posted a verse: "The saint speaks with a gentle nature, a sage's words never go in vain." Union minister of state Ravneet Bittu posted a video statement, saying, "Crossing the limits of respect is unfortunate. The comment made by chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann towards Dera Beas leader Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon Ji is highly condemnable. Such statements have not only hurt the sentiments of the followers but have also tarnished the dignity of the chief minister's high office."Former minister Manoranjan Kalia issued a statement asking the CM and Cheema to apologise for their comments.Other BJP leaders and social media accounts also criticised the CM.From Congress, only MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, a bete noire of top AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal and CM Bhagwant Mann, issued a statement condemning Mann for allegedly using "derogatory and cheap language to target and humiliate Baba Gurinder Singh". He said the dera head's views regarding Majithia's case were now echoing across Punjab, with growing public perception that the AAP govt was misusing the state's police machinery to implicate its political opponents in fabricated and politically motivated cases.