Punjab News:AAP Punjab SC Wing challenges Rahul Gandhi, Channi and Congress over atrocities against Dalits and Sikhs
Congress failed to seek justice for Dalit leader Ranjit Singh Tarkhan Majra even after he was assaulted at Punjab Congress Bhawan: Jasvir Singh Garhi
Was the assault on Ranjit Singh Tarkhan Majra part of a conspiracy by Channi and his associates to settle political scores in Bassi Pathana? Garhi asks Congress
If Congress is holding an ‘Insaaf Rally’ in Sangrur, Rahul Gandhi must first answer why his party has denied justice to Dalits, Sikhs and minorities: Garhi
Congress must answer for its historical injustices against Dr BR Ambedkar, Kanshi Ram and the Dalit community: Garhi
Why has Congress never answered for the 1984 anti-Sikh violence, Operation Blue Star and the disappearance of Sikh Reference Library treasures? Garhi announces protest outside Punjab Congress Bhawan on November 4
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab SC Wing President Gurpreet Singh GP and Chamkaur Sahib constituency in-charge Jasvir Singh Garhi on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Congress over its anti-Dalit record and failure to deliver justice to Dalit leader Ranjit Singh Tarkhan Majra, who was assaulted at Punjab Congress Bhawan in Sector 15, Chandigarh, on October 27.
Addressing a press conference, Garhi said it was deeply shameful that despite nearly a week having passed since the assault, not a single senior Congress leader, from Punjab to the national leadership, had apologised to Ranjit Singh Tarkhan Majra or raised a serious demand for justice for him. He pointed out that the Congress was preparing to hold an ‘Insaaf Rally’ in Sangrur while failing to secure justice for their own Dalit leader assaulted inside its own party headquarters.
Garhi said Ranjit Singh Tarkhan Majra is not an ordinary party worker but a senior Congress leader who has served the party for nearly 40 years. He has held several positions, including former Chairman of the Sirhind Market Committee, former Director of Agro Punjab, former Panchayat and Block Samiti member, Punjab Congress Secretary, special invitee member of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee’s SC Cell and a senior office-bearer of the Congress Seva Dal. He was also appointed observer for five districts during the Congress’s ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’ campaign in October.
Garhi questioned why a leader with such a long record of service was subjected to such a brutal assault inside Congress Bhawan and why the party had remained silent ever since. He said caste-based abuses and discriminatory language were also used against him, making the incident an example of caste discrimination within the Congress itself.
Garhi alleged that the assault was part of a political conspiracy involving former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and his close associate Barinder Singh Dhillon. He said the motive was linked to political rivalries in the Bassi Pathana constituency, where Channi’s brother, Dr Manohar Singh, had contested as an independent candidate against the Congress in the 2022 Assembly elections after rebelling against the party.
Garhi presented Ranjit Singh Tarkhan Majra’s social media posts from October 20 onwards, which showed him actively campaigning and meeting people across Bassi Pathana villages. He questioned how someone who was visibly active in the constituency and serving the party could suddenly become a target of such violence at Congress Bhawan.
Garhi challenged Dhillon not to hide behind Channi or Rahul Gandhi and said AAP would continue fighting for justice for Tarkhan Majra regardless of which party he belonged to.
Garhi also questioned the Chandigarh Police’s handling of the matter. He said an application had already been submitted at Police Station against those involved in the assault, but no FIR had been registered. He alleged that the police were acting under political pressure and demanded to know why action had not been taken.
Garhi thanked Gurpreet Singh GP for standing alongside Ranjit Singh Tarkhan Majra, despite their different political positions. He said GP had acknowledged that Tarkhan Majra was his Dalit brother and that it was his responsibility to stand up for an oppressed person and demand justice, irrespective of party affiliations.
Garhi said the fight was not merely about one individual but about the dignity and rights of the entire Dalit community. He called upon Congress leaders to stop using Dalit leaders for political purposes while remaining silent when they face discrimination and violence within their own organisation.
Garhi broadened his attack to Congress’s historical treatment of Dalits, particularly Dr BR Ambedkar. He recalled how Ambedkar had fought for separate electorates and greater political representation for Dalits, but the Poona Pact of September 24, 1932, resulted in the loss of that separate electorate provision.
He also raised questions about the circumstances surrounding Ambedkar’s election to the Constituent Assembly in 1946 from the Bengal constituency of Jessore-Khulna, which later became part of Pakistan following Partition.
Garhi further recalled the 1951 Bhandara and 1952 Bombay elections, alleging that Congress worked to defeat Ambedkar by backing candidates against him, including his former associate Kajrolkar in Bombay.
He questioned why Ambedkar, the principal architect of the Indian Constitution, was not given a comparable memorial in Delhi while several memorials were established for four former Congress Prime Ministers in 150 acres. He said Ambedkar’s dead body had to be taken to Mumbai for his last rites, despite his immense contribution to the nation.
Garhi also recalled Ambedkar’s reported remarks in Lucknow on April 27, 1948, against joining the Congress, saying that Ambedkar had described joining the party as equivalent to political suicide and had warned marginalized communities against placing their trust in it. He added that Ambedkar was conferred the Bharat Ratna only in 1990, decades after his death in 1956.
Garhi also questioned Congress’s treatment of BSP founder Kanshi Ram, who dedicated his life to the political empowerment of Dalits and oppressed communities. He recalled Kanshi Ram’s electoral battles against Congress leaders, including Rajiv Gandhi in Amethi and H.K.L. Bhagat in Delhi, and highlighted the support he received despite campaigning with limited resources.
He said Kanshi Ram passed away on October 9, 2006, when Congress was in power both in Punjab and at the Centre, yet the party did not declare even an hour of national mourning. Garhi questioned why Congress was now organising an Insaaf Rally while failing to ensure justice to marginalized people while being in power.
Addressing Rahul Gandhi directly, Garhi demanded answers for the injustices suffered by Sikhs during Congress rule. He recalled the 1984 anti-Sikh violence and questioned the Congress leadership’s responsibility when the violence took place under its government.
He asked Rahul Gandhi what justice Congress had delivered to the victims of the 1984 violence and what action it had taken against leaders such as Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler. He also questioned Congress’s record on the human rights violations in Punjab, including torture in police stations, enforced disappearances and the cremation of thousands of unidentified bodies.
Garhi invoked the memory of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who exposed the illegal cremations of thousands of bodies and was himself abducted and killed by the police. He asked why justice remained elusive for Khalra and countless affected families.
He further raised the issue of Operation Blue Star, questioning Rahul Gandhi about the military action at Sri Darbar Sahib in 1984 and the damage and loss suffered by the Sikh community. He demanded answers over the looting of the Sikh Reference Library and asked when the community would receive justice and the return of its historical and religious treasures.
Garhi said Congress could not speak about justice while ignoring the suffering of Dalits, Sikhs and minorities during its own governments. He challenged Rahul Gandhi to address these questions publicly.
Garhi announced that AAP would hold a protest outside Punjab Congress Bhawan on November 4 at 12 noon, when Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to attend the Congress rally in Punjab. He said he would lead the protest along with members of the Dalit community, Punjabis, Sikhs and representatives of other affected sections to demand answers from the Congress leadership.
He said the protest would raise questions not only about the assault on Ranjit Singh Tarkhan Majra but also about the historical injustices committed against Dalits, Sikhs, minorities and the people of Punjab under Congress rule.
Garhi challenged Rahul Gandhi to spare time to answer these questions. He said Channi must also answer why he had failed to resolve the injustice faced by a Dalit Congress leader.
Concluding his address, Garhi said AAP would not allow the Congress to selectively invoke the word ‘Insaaf’ for political gains while remaining silent on the injustices committed against Dalits and Sikhs. He asserted that the November 4 protest would demand accountability from the Congress leadership and justice for Ranjit Singh Tarkhan Majra.
