CHANDIGARH: In a powerful show of unity, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) unleashed statewide protests across Punjab on Friday against Congress leader Pratap Singh Bajwa’s casteist and derogatory comments targeting Cabinet Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO. Thousands of AAP leaders, ministers, MLAs, workers, and residents took to the streets, chanting slogans and demanding a public apology from Bajwa and the Congress high command.
Senior AAP leader Baltej Pannu led the charge, declaring that Bajwa’s shameful remarks were not just an insult to Minister ETO but a direct assault on the entire Dalit community and Punjab’s hardworking laborers. ‘These comments expose Congress’s deep-seated anti-Dalit mindset,’ Pannu asserted, calling for an unconditional public apology to the Dalit community and all toiling masses.
Protests erupted in major cities like Malerkotla, Ropar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, SBS Nagar, Amritsar, Pathankot, Tarn Taran, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ludhiana, Moga, Patiala, Sangrur, Bathinda, Ferozepur, Mansa, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Barnala, and SAS Nagar. Locals joined AAP activists in large numbers, accompanied by bands and drummers, to condemn Bajwa’s divisive rhetoric.
AAP Punjab General Secretary challenged Congress leadership head-on: Does Bajwa’s casteist language reflect the party’s official stance? Will Congress President and senior leaders publicly denounce these remarks, or will they maintain their silence as they have in past instances of Dalit oppression? The protests highlighted AAP’s firm commitment to protecting the dignity of marginalized communities.
As Punjab gears up for future electoral battles, this episode underscores the simmering tensions between AAP and Congress, with AAP positioning itself as the true champion of social justice. The massive turnout signals strong public support for AAP’s stance against caste-based discrimination.