The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab organised state-wide protests on Friday against Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the state Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa. The AAP targeted Congress leader Bajwa after he made alleged casteist and derogatory remarks against Cabinet Minister Harbhajan Singh.
Senior AAP leaders, ministers, MLAs, party workers and local residents took part in the protests and demanded that both Bajwa and the Congress leadership issue a public apology.
“Partap Singh Bajwa’s shameful and casteist remarks against Cabinet Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO are not merely an insult to a minister but a direct attack on the entire Dalit community and the hardworking people and labourers of Punjab who earn their livelihood with dignity. We demand that Bajwa and the Congress leadership publicly apologise to the Dalit community and to all hardworking people,” stated senior AAP leader and Punjab unit general secretary Baltej Pannu.
He added, “The anti-Dalit mindset of the Congress party has once again been exposed before the people of Punjab. The AAP will not allow anyone to demean Dalits or insult the dignity of working-class people in the state.”
Pannu alleged Bajwa’s language not only reflects his mindset, but also the Congress party’s deep-rooted hatred towards Dalits. He alleged Congress has humiliated marginalised communities out of political arrogance for decades.
“While the AAP believes in governance, education, health, employment and public welfare, Congress leaders like Partap Singh Bajwa remain trapped in a feudal and casteist mentality that Punjab has repeatedly rejected,” he said.
AAP leaders asked the Congress leadership whether Bajwa’s casteist language reflected the official thinking of the Congress party.
As per reports, protests were held across Punjab, including Malerkotla, Rupnagar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, SBS Nagar, Amritsar, Pathankot, Tarn Taran, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ludhiana, Moga, Patiala, Sangrur, Bathinda, Fazilka, Firozpur, Mansa, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Barnala and SAS Nagar.
AAP’s Punjab unit stated, “Punjab is a land of equality, guided by the teachings of Guru Sahib and the ideology of Babasaheb Ambedkar. The people of Punjab will not tolerate any insult to Dalits and hardworking communities.”