Amritsar Congress candidate Gurjeet Singh Aujla invokes Channi after ‘anti-Dalit’ charge

Tribune News Service

Charanjit Singh Teja

Amritsar, May 23

With an eye on the Dalit vote bank and to counter allegations surrounding his alleged remarks against the Schedule Caste community, Congress candidate Gurjeet Singh Aujla often invokes Charanjit Singh Channi during his election speeches to strike a chord with them. “Channi karda masle hall”, a prominent slogan used during 2022 Assembly polls, now has become a necessity for him to woo Dalit voters after opponent parties targeted him in public rallies and termed him as anti-Dalit. However, Aujla had good terms with the some other Congress leaders in the state but he chose Channi. Aujla added some more lines to the slogan and expressed resentment that people did not believe in Channi. “Channi karda masle hall, tusi na mani sa?i gall, tusi tur paye badalav de vall”. In a poll rally at Jaura Phatak area, Aujla stated that during his tenure, CM Charanjit Singh Channi initiated many schemas but Aam Aadmi Party government failed to continue.

As per the 2011 Census, the Schedule Caste (SC) population is 31 per cent of total population in Amritsar district. It is sizable population, which is vocal about their political onion. All four major political parties, fielded ‘upper caste’ candidates, including three Jatts and a Brahmin. In the absence of Bahujan Samaj Party’s strong hold, the Dalit in Majha region used to favour Congress but the scenario had changed after freebies offered by SAD during its regime. Even Bharatiya Janata Party is gaining ground by raising the Dalit issues and conflict with farmer unions.

An old video of Aujla in which he reportedly linked the crime with SC youths went viral during last days. The opposition candidates are now targeting Aujla for his remark. Aujla claimed that the old video has been uploaded on social media, in which several sentences were pruned to send across a negative message. Despite the claim that the video clip was tempered, he had submitted an apology.

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