Alleging insult to Punjabis, AAP guns for Chandigarh BJP chief

Members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday staged a protest against an alleged statement made by Chandigarh BJP president Jatinder Pal Malhotra during a sports function, which they claimed was derogatory towards the Punjabi community.

A large number of workers, led by city AAP president Vijay Pal Singh and party councillors, gathered in Sector 34. However, the police stopped them from marching towards the BJP office by erecting barricades.

Vijay Pal Singh said AAP strongly condemned the “derogatory” remarks made by Malhotra against Punjabis.

He demanded that Malhotra resign from the post, saying the people of Chandigarh and Punjab would not forgive such statements. Vijay Pal Singh said the contribution of Punjabis to national security, agriculture, industry and nation-building could never be forgotten. “Insulting such a proud and patriotic community is unacceptable under any circumstances,” he said.

Councillors Hardeep Singh, Kuldeep Singh and Yogesh Dhingra, along with party leaders Vikrant A Tanwar and Sunny Aulakh, were also present on the occasion. The workers raised slogans against Malhotra and demanded his resignation. They also burnt his effigy.

Malhotra has already denied making any such statement. He said his remarks were being deliberately twisted and misrepresented in an attempt to mislead the public.

Malhotra clarified that he himself belonged to Punjab and had immense respect for Punjab and every Punjabi. He stated that the video being circulated by the opposition did not present the complete context of his remarks.