WARRING’S SUBSEQUENT APOLOGY IS MERE AN ATTEMPT TO SIMPLY “BURY THE ISSUE”
Punjab E News: Punjab Finance Minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema, today delivered a sharp condemnation of Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring’s derogatory remarks targeting the late senior Congress leader Sardar Buta Singh, calling the incident a “crime born of caste arrogance” rather than a mere mistake. He dismissed Raja Warring’s subsequent apology, made after being confronted by the public, as an attempt to simply “bury the issue.”
Addressing a press conference here at Punjab Bhawan, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema emphasized that Warring, given his vast political experience as a former All India Youth Congress President, three-time MLA, Cabinet Minister, and current Member of Parliament, should know better. Cheema stressed that targeting a notable political figure based on his caste by an individual with such deep experience is not an error but a “crime born of caste arrogance that has wounded the hearts of countless people and warrants legal punishment.”
Finance Minister Cheema highlighted the stature of the late Sardar Buta Singh, noting he was not an ordinary individual but a highly educated (M.A., Ph.D. holder) and prominent leader within Raja Warring’s own Congress party. He said that Sardar Buta Singh served as a teacher and journalist before becoming renowned as a powerful Union Home Minister for the country. Cheema described it as “extremely unfortunate” that such a great personality was subjected to caste-based insults by a self-professed caste-arrogant leader from his own party.
The Finance Minister asserted that this incident is not isolated. He pointed out that this is not the first time Congress leaders have shown disrespect towards individuals who have risen to high positions through hard work, availing the rights granted by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s Constitution. Cheema referenced previous casteist statements by Congress leaders like Pratap Singh Bajwa and Sunil Jakhar against another party leader, recalling the comment that “results would have been different if an Arabian horse was bet on instead of a pony in Punjab,” citing it as further evidence of an underlying caste-based haughtiness within the party.
Finance Minister Cheema called on the Congress party to immediately expel Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, warning that failure to do so would only reaffirm the party’s longstanding anti-Dalit policies. He affirmed that the land of Punjab, guided by the message of its Gurus and Saints, will never permit defamation in the name of caste.
The Finance Minister contrasted the Congress party’s actions with the efforts of the Aam Aadmi Party’s government in Punjab. He said that the state government is currently engaged in propagating the message of human equality delivered by Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji during the 350th Martyrdom Anniversary events. Furthermore, the government is honoring the history of figures like Baba Jiwan Singh (Bhai Jaita Ji), who was given the title ‘Ranghreta Guru Ka Beta’ (Guru’s son) by the tenth Guru Sahib, and is actively working to transmit their legacy of respect to the next generation. Cheema described the Congress party’s behavior as showing its “true mentality,” which he found to be extremely unfortunate when the AAP government is honoring the descendants of these revered personalities.
The Finance Minister said that the State Scheduled Castes Commission has already issued a notice to Raja Warring, and the AAP’s legal cell is currently studying the case for initiating legal action under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Concluding his address, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema reaffirmed that the Aam Aadmi Party is consistently inspired by the teachings of its Gurus, the philosophy of Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh, and the principles of Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar to frame its policies for social unity and welfare. He said that this commitment is reflected in the party’s practice of installing the portraits of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh and Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar in government offices, not those of the Chief Minister, whenever it forms a government in any state.
