Chandigarh, Jun 5 (PTI) Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema Monday slammed Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa for his alleged comments against AAP legislator Labh Singh Ugoke and accused him of insulting the Dalit community. Aam Aadmi Party's Dalit MLAs gathered here to condemn the alleged statement of the leader of opposition in the Punjab Assembly. They alleged that Bajwa had "mocked" Ugoke, who had once run a mobile repair shop, over his previous trade.

Meanwhile, Bajwa rejected the allegations levelled by Cheema as false.

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"I will hold a press conference on Wednesday and answer the false allegations levelled against me by the Finance Minister @HarpalCheemaMLA," the Congress leader said.

Cheema accused Bajwa of insulting the entire Dalit community with his comments on Ugoke and said he was “unable to digest a mobile repairman becoming an MLA”.

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“Bajwa has expressed his narrow mindedness towards the poor and Dalit people. In fact, these people are not able to digest how those whom they used to consider lower than them became MLAs and how they are sitting in front of them in the assembly,” said Cheema. “People like Bajwa hate the poor. His statement also proved that his heart is full of hatred towards the poor and downtrodden,” he said in a statement. The finance minister said the entire opposition is “scared” of the decisions being taken by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for the progress of Punjab and the campaign to rid the state of corruption and mafia.

“Unnerved, the leaders of Akali-Congress keep making such statements,” he alleged. Praising Ugoke, Cheema said the AAP MLA is a hardworking and young leader who is working for the progress of Punjab.

Ugoke defeated former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi in the 2022 assembly elections from the Bhadaur seat.

Cheema asked Bajwa to apologise for his alleged statement within a week, and also appealed to the Congress leadership to take strict action against him.

Ugoke said, “If Bajwa had only insulted me, I would have tolerated it, but he has insulted all the people who work hard to earn their livelihood.”

Among those who gathered here included Cabinet ministers Baljit Kaur, Harbhajan Singh, Balkar Singh and Lalchand Kataruchak and MLAs Manjit Singh Bilaspur, Budhram, Sarbjit Kaur Manunke, Kulwant Singh Pandori, Charanjit Singh Channi, Rupinder Singh Happy, Hakam Singh Thekedar, Manvinder Singh Gyaspura, Ravjot Singh and Amolak Singh.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)