AAP Stages Statewide Protests Over Congress Leader’s Remarks On Dalit Minister In Punjab

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday launched protests across Punjab, assembling outside district Congress offices to oppose remarks allegedly made by Punjab Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa against state minister Harbhajan Singh. Senior AAP ministers and MLAs spearheaded the demonstrations, terming the comments insulting to the Dalit community and pressing for an unconditional apology.

AAP workers organised sit-ins, chanted slogans, and in several places gathered near the homes of Congress leaders. In Rupnagar, MLA Dr Charanjit Singh led a protest where demonstrators raised slogans criticising the Congress for what they described as anti-Dalit attitudes. Similar demonstrations were held in Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Moga, Bathinda, Amritsar, and Jalandhar, where AAP leaders used wedding bands as a symbolic form of protest.

Addressing supporters in Hoshiarpur, AAP representatives described Bajwa’s alleged remarks as unacceptable and announced that the issue would be raised during the upcoming Budget session of the Punjab Assembly. The controversy stems from Bajwa’s earlier statements accusing Harbhajan Singh of corruption and allegedly referring to his past association with wedding bands, comments that AAP leaders said demeaned both the minister and his community.

The Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission, chaired by Jasvir Singh Garhi, took cognisance of the matter. Bajwa, through his lawyer Arvind Kumar Sachdeva, denied making any objectionable remarks while appearing before the commission.

Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Jai Krishan Singh Rouri said that targeting someone’s background or profession has no place in a democratic society, stressing that all forms of work deserve respect in Punjab’s culture. He urged political parties to focus on governance and policy debates rather than personal attacks.

The protests followed statements by Harbhajan Singh, who said the remarks had deeply hurt him, his family, and the wider community. He asserted that criticism was rooted in discomfort over his rise from a modest background to holding a cabinet position, and warned of legal action if no apology was forthcoming.