Cabinet Minister Mohinder Bhagat accuses BJP govt of anti-Dalit bias

Punjab Horticulture Minister Mohinder Bhagat criticised the BJP government at the Centre and in Haryana, accusing them of pursuing an anti-Dalit agenda that has triggered widespread resentment among Dalit communities across the country.

Addressing the media alongside MLA Balkar Singh, Punjab Safai Karamchari Commission Chairman Chandan Grewal and District Planning Committee Chairman Amritpal Singh, Bhagat pointed to two recent incidents — the attack attempt on the Chief Justice of India (CJI) and the suicide of an IPS officer in Haryana — as clear signs of increasing intolerance and caste-based discrimination.

He said it was a moment of national pride that, for the first time, a Dalit individual had become the Chief Justice of India solely on the basis of merit. However, the recent attack attempt on him has deeply hurt the sentiments of the Dalit community, he added.

Referring to the suicide of the Haryana IPS officer, Bhagat said the officer, who belonged to the Dalit community, was driven to the extreme step due to systemic apathy and caste bias.

Speaking on behalf of the Aam Aadmi Party, Bhagat demanded strict legal action against those responsible and called for the registration of a murder case to ensure justice for the officer’s family. He asserted that the BJP’s silence on these incidents had exposed its anti-Dalit stance to the entire nation. Prominent among others present on the occasion were senior AAP leaders Principal Prem Kumar, Kimti Bhagat, and Media In-Charge Sanjiv Bhagat.

Dalit atrocities rising under BJP-RSS rule: MLA Dhaliwal

Expressing deep sorrow and solidarity with the family of Haryana IPS officer Y Puran Kumar, who reportedly died by suicide, Phagwara MLA Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal, President of the Kapurthala District Congress Committee, described the incident as a tragic reflection of the growing caste-based persecution in the country.

Dhaliwal said the officer’s extreme step, allegedly taken due to caste harassment, has “shaken the conscience of the entire nation.”

Referring to recent incidents — including the murder of Hariom Valmiki in Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli, the insult directed at Chief Justice Gavai and now the suicide of a senior police officer — Dhaliwal said these events collectively reveal that “BJP rule has become a curse for Dalits.”

“If an IPS officer or even a Chief Justice can be subjected to such humiliation, one can only imagine the plight of ordinary Dalits across the country,” he said, adding that since 2014, when the BJP came to power at the Centre, India’s social fabric has been deteriorating rapidly.

Dhaliwal alleged that the Modi government has emboldened forces that divide people along caste and religious lines, weakening communal harmony. He cautioned that if this situation continues, India might find itself “on the brink of civil unrest rather than achieving the dream of becoming a developed nation by 2047.”

He further warned that the growing disregard for the Constitution and rule of law could lead to an “unchecked authoritarian regime” where minorities and Dalits will struggle to survive. “The India envisioned by the freedom fighters and Dr BR Ambedkar is turning into a distant dream,” Dhaliwal said.

Calling for unity, Dhaliwal urged all Indians to “stand together to liberate the nation from the divisive grip of the BJP and strengthen the hands of the Congress Party.” He said that this movement could begin with the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections in November and continue through the Punjab elections in 2027.