The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) held protests across Punjab on Friday outside district Congress committee offices over alleged comments made by Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa against state minister Harbhajan Singh. Party leaders, including ministers and MLAs, led the demonstrations. AAP workers staged sit-ins and raised slogans against Bajwa’s remarks. In some places, protests were also held outside the homes of Congress leaders.
In Hoshiarpur, Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Jai Krishan Singh Rouri and several AAP MLAs were present at the protest. The ruling party even arranged a wedding band to play during the protest as a symbolic response to Bajwa’s alleged derogatory remarks.
Addressing the gathering in Hoshiarpur, AAP leaders termed Bajwa’s comments “unfortunate and unacceptable” and demanded that he should apologise. They said the party would continue to raise the issue during the upcoming Budget session of the Punjab Assembly. Bajwa had accused Minister Harbhajan Singh of corruption and added that the Congress would hold him accountable once it forms the government. “Jehra pehle band vajaanda reha, ehda band asin vajaavange (He who used to be a band player will be taken to task by us),” Bajwa had said while referring to Singh.
Reacting to the remark, Harbhajan Singh criticised Bajwa and said it was shameful to mock honest and hard-earned livelihoods. He said his father was a bandmaster who educated his children through hard work.
Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission chairman Jasvir Singh Garhi took suo motu notice of Bajwa’s comments. However, Bajwa’s counsel said on Wednesday that the Leader of the Opposition had not made any objectionable comment against Harbhajan Singh. The clarification was given by Bajwa’s counsel, Arvind Kumar Sachdeva, who appeared before the chairman of the Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission in connection with the alleged remarks.
Speaking to reporters during the protest in Hoshiarpur, Rouri said such language did not suit the Leader of the Opposition. “In a democracy, it is not appropriate to comment on someone’s background or profession. Such language has no place in Punjab,” he said. Rouri stated that Bajwa’s comments had hurt the sentiments of working-class people. He said Harbhajan Singh comes from a humble background and has achieved success through hard work. Disrespecting any profession, he said, goes against Punjab’s culture. Rouri further said that political opposition should focus on policies and issues, not personal or derogatory comments.
In Ludhiana, AAP workers protested outside the office of Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. The demonstration was led by Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian, who condemned the language used by Congress leaders. AAP members also held protests in other districts, including Sri Muktsar Sahib, Moga, Bathinda, Amritsar and Jalandhar, expressing strong resentment over the remarks.
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