Punjab Politics Heats Up Over ‘Band’ Remark on AAP Minister Harbhajan ETO, AAP Protests in Chandigarh

February 9, 2026

Chandigarh: A political controversy has erupted in Punjab after Congress Legislature Party leader Pratap Singh Bajwa made a remark targeting AAP minister Harbhajan Singh ETO. Addressing a Congress MNREGA rally in Jandiala Guru, Bajwa said Harbhajan “used to play the band” and alleged large-scale corruption in his department, adding that Congress would “play his band” in response.

The controversy intensified when Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring allegedly threatened to “twist Harbhajan ETO’s neck in three minutes,” citing fearlessness taught by Rahul Gandhi. The remark triggered outrage within the Aam Aadmi Party.

AAP Protests in Chandigarh

AAP leaders and workers staged protests in Chandigarh, condemning the Congress leadership’s statements. Protesters accused Congress of using derogatory language and reducing politics to personal attacks, mockingly referring to the remarks as “band baaja” politics.

Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema demanded an apology from Bajwa, calling the statement insulting and anti-Dalit. He highlighted that Harbhajan ETO rose from poverty through hard work, cleared the civil services exam, and later joined AAP to serve the public.

Harbhajan ETO Hits Back

Responding strongly, Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO said he was proud to be the son of a band member. He asserted that honest labour should never be demeaned and accused Congress leaders of elitist thinking. He claimed such remarks reflect Congress’s frustration and said Dalit voters would respond in the 2027 elections.

Harbhajan ETO’s wife Surinder Kaur also criticised the Congress leadership, calling Bajwa’s remark disrespectful to their family’s profession. She accused Raja Warring of making provocative statements while simultaneously claiming that law and order in Punjab has collapsed.

The episode has further deepened political tensions between AAP and Congress in Punjab, with both sides trading sharp accusations and the issue now taking a caste and dignity-related dimension.

As the controversy intensified, AAP workers staged a protest in Chandigarh, demanding an apology from Congress leaders. Interestingly, the protest turned symbolic when AAP supporters reportedly arrived with band members, drums, and instruments, raising slogans and responding to Bajwa’s “band” remark in their own way.

Sources say slogans were raised, drums were played, and AAP leaders accused Congress of insulting hardworking communities.