Chandigarh, Feb 13 (IANS) The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab on Friday held statewide “band-baja” protests against Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa over his casteist and derogatory remarks targeting Cabinet Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO.

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Senior leaders, ministers, MLAs, activists, and residents joined demonstrations in large numbers, raising slogans and demanding a public apology from Bajwa and the Congress leadership.

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AAP leader 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.

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“We demand that Bajwa and the Congress leadership publicly apologise to the Dalit community and to all hardworking people.”

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The AAP Punjab General Secretary added, “The anti-Dalit mindset of the Congress 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.”

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Challenging the Congress leadership, AAP Punjab leaders said, “Does Partap Singh Bajwa’s casteist language reflect the official thinking of the Congress party? Does Congress stand with Bajwa’s derogatory remarks? Will the Congress President and senior leaders publicly condemn him, or will they once again choose silence, just as they have done whenever Dalits were attacked, ignored, or humiliated?”

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Protests were held across Punjab, including major demonstrations in Malerkotla and Ropar, where a significant number of residents and “band-baaja” artists joined AAP leaders and party workers in condemning Bajwa and the Congress party’s anti-Dalit stance.

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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 activists came out in large numbers to condemn the anti-Dalit mindset.

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–IANS

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