Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Punjab Cabinet Minister Harpal Singh Cheema asserted that the BJP's anti-Dalit mindset has been laid bare during its National President Nitin Nabin’s recent Punjab visit. Referring to a recent BJP event, he revealed that senior SC leaders such as former Union Ministers Vijay Sampla and Som Parkash were made to stand among the audience while others were seated on stage, pointing to clear discrimination.
Harpal Singh Cheema pointed out that the BJP respects only an elite class while Dalits, workers and the poor are systematically sidelined and humiliated. He emphasised that the Scheduled Caste community, forming nearly 34 % of Punjab’s population, has witnessed this approach firsthand, and concluded that the BJP is anti-Punjab, anti-farmer and its anti-Dalit face has now been fully exposed, adding that the people of Punjab will respond firmly to such politics.
Addressing a press conference alongside AAP Punjab SC Wing Chairman Gurpreet Singh GP, Harpal Singh Cheema said, "According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2024 data, nearly 65 % of crimes against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the country were reported from four BJP-ruled states including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan. This reflects the BJP government’s failure to protect Dalits and demonstrates the party’s deep-rooted prejudice against marginalized communities."
Highlighting discrimination against senior Dalit BJP leaders, he revealed, "During a recent party event in Punjab, senior SC leaders such as former Union Minister Vijay Sampla and former Union Minister Som Parkash were made to stand among the audience while top leadership was seated on stage. This incident has exposed the BJP’s real face before the people of Punjab. Leaders who have served the party for decades and represented the Scheduled Caste community were denied even basic respect."
The senior AAP leader added, "The episode clearly demonstrates the BJP’s discriminatory mindset towards Dalits, workers and economically weaker sections. The BJP only respects a privileged and elite class. Those who represent labourers, Dalits and the poor are sidelined and humiliated."
He further added that Punjab’s Scheduled Caste community, constituting nearly 34 % of the state’s population, has witnessed this discriminatory approach firsthand. The people of Punjab will not forgive the BJP for insulting Dalit leaders and marginalised communities that have contributed significantly to the country’s progress.
Concluding, Harpal Singh Cheema said, "The BJP is not only anti-Punjab and anti-farmer, but its anti-Dalit face has now been fully exposed. The people of Punjab will give a fitting reply to such divisive and discriminatory politics.”