Chabbewal defends Bajwa amid row over ‘anti-Dalit’ remarks on Ugoke

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, June 8

Deputy Congress Legislative Party leader Raj Kumar Chabbewal on Thursday came out in support of Leader of Opposition Partap Bajwa, after some Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders slammed the latter for making ‘anti-Dalit’ remarks. This comes after Bajwa, during a programme in Jalandhar last week, took a swipe at Dalit AAP legislator Labh Singh Ugoke, snidely remarking, “Those who used to repair mobile phones are now serving as MLAs.”

Chabbewal, has however, dismissed the AAP leaders’ allegations against Bajwa as ‘baseless’. He hit out at the party, saying, “Rather than describing Bajwa as ‘anti-Dalit’, the AAP leaders should instead reflect on what their administration has done for the Dalits so far. AAP had won 90 per cent of the 34 reserved Assembly seats in Punjab. What stopped the party from appointing a Dalit leader as the Deputy CM?” Instead of targeting Bajwa, finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema should take up the matter of his own appointment as the Deputy CM with his party high command, Chabbewal suggested. Congress leaders have contended that the remarks made by Bajwa did not indicate in any way that he is against Dalits.

“Rather than making a futile attempt to target Bajwa, the AAP leaders should explain why the Dalit students enrolled under SC post-matric scholarships have been left to suffer. They are not being allowed to sit in examinations. They are facing hurdles in getting their degrees. An amount of Rs 1,650 crore is due to be released by the state government. They should explain why the student are suffering,” stressed Chabbewal.

The Congress MLA also flagged the pending appointment of 58 law officers from reserved categories in the state. “It has been almost 10 months, and the government is yet to fill the posts,” he rued.