CHANDIGARH: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab on Friday held massive protests across the state against Leader of Opposition (LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa over his alleed casteist and derogatory remarks targeting Punjab Cabinet Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO. Senior leaders, ministers, MLAs, AAP karyakartas and local residents joined demonstrations in large numbers, raising slogans and demanding a public apology from Bajwa and the Congress leadership.
Partap Singh Bajwa who has received a notice from Punjab Scheduled caste commission on the issue has challenged the notice in the Punjab and Haryana High Court He has maintained that he has not made any comments that hurt the sentiments of scheduled caste community. He said that AAP was raising the issue due to political reasons and has no base for the protest.
AAP leader and Punjab Unit General Secretary Baltej Pannu said, “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.”
The AAP leader further said, “Partap Singh Bajwa’s remark is also a direct insult to the hardworking people of Punjab, especially band-baaja artists, daily wage labourers and other artists who work tirelessly during weddings, religious events and social functions.”
Demonstrations also took place in 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, where AAP ministers, MLAs, leaders, workers and local residents came out in large numbers to condemn Partap Singh Bajwa and the Congress party’s anti-Dalit mindset.