Vijay Sampla Accuses AAP of Betraying Dalit Community in Punjab
Chandigarh: Former Union Minister and ex-Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, Vijay Sampla, launched a scathing attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab, accusing it of betraying the Dalit community, shielding those accused of atrocities, and systematically sidelining Dalit representation in politics and governance.
Sampla alleged that while AAP claims to champion Dalit rights, its actions reveal a starkly anti-Dalit mindset. “This government not only harbors an anti-Dalit mentality but is also actively trying to silence their voice,” he said.
AAP sheltering convicts and accused
Sampla cited the case of AAP MLA Manjinder Singh Lalpura, who was convicted and sentenced to four years for assaulting a Dalit woman. “Instead of taking action, the government has allowed him to retain his MLA position and enjoy special privileges in jail,” Sampla charged.
Casteist remarks and public apologies
He further recalled that during the Punjab Assembly session in March 2024, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann allegedly used casteist language against a Dalit MLA, insulting the entire community. Similarly, in April 2024, Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar made caste-based remarks during a rally in Patti, forcing both him and the Chief Minister to issue public apologies.
Broken promises and zero representation
Sampla said AAP had promised before the 2022 elections to appoint a Dalit as Deputy Chief Minister, but “that promise was forgotten the moment they came to power.” He pointed out that none of AAP’s 13 Rajya Sabha MPs, including all seven from Punjab — a state with India’s largest Dalit population — belong to the Dalit community.
Neglect of Dalit welfare and education
The BJP leader also accused the Mann government of withholding its share of post-matric scholarship funds for Dalit students, a lapse for which the Punjab and Haryana High Court reprimanded the state.
Justice denied to Dalit victims
Sampla highlighted that in the Majitha spurious liquor tragedy of May 2025, 16 of the 30 victims were Mazhabi Sikhs, yet their families received neither compensation nor government jobs. In another case in Ludhiana, he said, the police failed to invoke the SC/ST Act despite clear evidence of caste-based violence.
Insults to icons and suppression of dissent
Taking strong exception to repeated incidents of vandalism of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s statues in Amritsar and Phillaur, Sampla alleged that the AAP government “turned a blind eye” to these acts. He added that ₹25 crore sanctioned for the Guru Ravidas Bani Study Centre was also stopped, “hurting the sentiments of the Ravidassia community.”
Referring to another case, Sampla said that in September 2023, the son of AAP leader Dinesh Dhal allegedly abducted and brutally assaulted a Dalit youth, but “no FIR was filed, and the victim was forced into a compromise.”
“The Bhagwant Mann government plays politics in the name of Dalits but, in reality, protects those who oppress them and attacks those who speak for justice,” Sampla asserted.
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