AAP holds ‘band-baja’ protest outside Partap Bajwa’s house over Dalit insult row
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, February 9, 2026:The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab on Sunday held a high-voltage band-baja protest outside the residence of Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, accusing the Congress leadership of making casteist and elitist remarks that insult Dalits and the working class of Punjab.
Senior AAP leaders, cabinet ministers, MLAs and hundreds of party workers participated in the protest, alleging that recent statements by Congress leaders mocked honest livelihoods and reflected a feudal and dynastic mindset.
As AAP workers attempted to gherao Bajwa’s residence, the situation turned tense, leading to clashes with the police. Water cannons were used to disperse the crowd, and several leaders and workers reportedly sustained injuries. Some protesters were also detained.
The protest was led by Cabinet Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO and was joined by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, Health Minister Dr. Balbir Singh, Mohinder Bhagat, Dr. Ravjot Singh, MLAs Amansher Singh (Sherry Kalsi), Kuljit Randhawa, Inderbir Singh Nijjar, Neena Mittal, Labh Singh Ugoke, Chetan Jodamajra, Inderjit Kaur, Sunny Singh Ahluwalia, Chairman Harchand Singh Barsat and others. A parallel protest was also held outside Bajwa’s residence in Qadian, Gurdaspur, under the leadership of AAP leader Joban Randhawa.
Addressing the gathering, Harbhajan Singh ETO said that mocking honest professions was an insult not just to him but to every poor and working-class family in Punjab. He said his father earned a living as a band master and educated his children through hard work. “I studied in a government school and reached this position on merit. This is not my insult alone; it is an insult to every family that survives on honest labour,” he said, warning that if Bajwa did not apologise, legal action would follow.
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema accused Congress, BJP and Akali Dal of promoting dynastic politics and said AAP had broken this tradition by bringing educated youth from ordinary backgrounds into politics. He said Congress leaders could not accept the rise of children from common households and were resorting to casteist remarks out of frustration.
Health Minister Dr. Balbir Singh said the remarks exposed Congress’s anti-Dalit and anti-working-class mindset, while MLA Inderjit Kaur termed the comments an insult to the entire Dalit and labouring community of Punjab. She demanded legal action against Congress leaders for what she called provocative and irresponsible statements.
MLA Sherry Kalsi said old political families felt threatened by the education and social transformation brought under the AAP government and would face a strong response from the people in the coming elections.
The protest concluded amid heavy police deployment, with AAP leaders reiterating their demand for an immediate apology from Partap Singh Bajwa and warning of intensified agitation if the issue was not addressed.