CHANDIGARH: Punjab minister Harbhajan Singh on Friday led a protest here against Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa for remarks deemed “objectionable” by AAP leaders.
Accusing Singh of corruption last month, Bajwa had said, “Jehra pehle band vajaanda reha, ehda band asin vajavange (He used to play in a band before; we will take him to task).”
The remarks drew sharp reactions from ruling AAP leaders, though Bajwa denied that his comments had anything to do with Singh’s caste.
Singh had earlier said his father was a band master and that Bajwa’s remarks mocked people who earn an honest livelihood through such work.
Outside the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Friday, AAP leaders and workers staged a demonstration with a wedding band as a symbolic protest against the Leader of Opposition’s remarks.
The minister demanded an apology from Bajwa as protesters, including MLA Amansher Singh Sherry Kalsi, raised slogans against the Congress leader.
The protest was held ahead of the start of the budget session of the Punjab Assembly on Friday.
Earlier, the Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission (PSSCC) had summoned the Congress leader to seek his explanation over his remarks about Singh.
In his submission to the panel, Bajwa denied making any caste-related remarks.