Indian National Congress (INC) has got entangled in another controversy after Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Wednesday used “Bhaiyya” jibe for people of UP, Bihar and Delhi during an election rally in the presence of Priyanka Gandhi. What made matters worse is that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was seen applauding along as Channi passed those comments.
“Don't let Bhaiyyas from UP, Bihar, Delhi, enter Punjab,” CM Channi passed the comment during an election rally in Ropar, Punjab. Priyanka Vadra is the congress-in-charge for the upcoming elections in UP. “Bhaiyya” is considered an offensive, disparaging classist slur used to refer to people of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar who work as contract labourers and farmers in Punjab.
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The statement has invited a huge backlash from political parties across the political spectrum. UP CM Yogi Adityanath criticized Channi for the comments. “The day labourers from UP stop going to other states for work, they (Congress government) know what situation will be confronted by them. "But I assure you, that the people of UP will stay in UP in the next 5 years and work for the development of their state,” CM Adityanath said in an interview to DD National. He also took a potshot at CM Channi’s visit to Guru Ravidas’s birthplace on his Jayanti on Wednesday. “CM Channi came to Varanasi yesterday on the occasion of Ravidas Jayanti. If he had taken any inspiration from Saint Ravidas, he would not have made such a negative remark,” he said in an interview to India Today.
CM Adityanath further alleged that the INC wants to divide the nation across various faultlines for votes. “Jaatiwaad, kshetrawaad, bhashawaad, atankwaad, naxalwaad, (casteism, regionalism, linguist, terrorism, Naxalism), these are all the wounds given to India by the Congress. And Congress today is reaping what it sowed… For votebank, Congress wants to divide the nation,” he further remarked.
So UP mein it is “ladki hoon lad sakti hoon” and Punjab mein it is “UP ke bhaiya ko bahar bhagao”. 🤷🏻♀️
AdvertisementWhat #Channi said is shameful enough, PVG laughing & cheering is even worse. Shows you that they only want to divide & rule! pic.twitter.com/sMVVw5zL6H
— Charu Pragya🇮🇳 (@CharuPragya) February 16, 2022
SAD leader Sukhbir Singh Badal also condemned the comment. “India is one, and all the people are together,” Badal said. BSP supremo Mayawati also criticized Channi and asked the people of Punjab to teach INC a “lesson” in the upcoming polls. “The manner in which the Congress CM of Punjab has insulted the people of UP and Bihar in the presence of the top leadership is very shameful. In such a situation, the people of these two states must teach a lesson to Congress in the assembly elections being held in Punjab and UP also. People of Bihar must also take proper cognizance of this,” Mayawati said on Twitter.
Punjab is all set to go to polls on 20th February for 117 assembly seats. Channi was renominated by his party as the CM candidate. Channi today clarified that he used the word in reference to AAP leaders.
