Congress leader and former Union Home Minister Buta Singh seen here in a file image.
| Photo Credit: File
With just days remaining for the Tarn Taran Assembly byelection in Punjab, the Indian National Congress (INC) appears to have landed in controversy after State president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring allegedly made a remark about the skin colour of the late Buta Singh, a former Union Home Minister from the Scheduled Caste community.
Mr. Warring has tendered an “unconditional apology”, but the electoral damage may already have been inflicted as Opposition parties have accused the Congress of showing “disrespect” towards Dalits ahead of the November 11 byelection.
An eight-time Lok Sabha Member of Parliament, the late Mr. Singh served as Union Home Minister and Governor of Bihar.
The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have sharply criticised the Congress following Mr. Warring’s remarks made during a recent election rally.
On Tuesday, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes took suo motu cognisance of the episode, seeking an action-taken report from the Deputy Commissioner of Tarn Taran. The Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission also took suo motu notice of the “casteist” comment, summoning Mr. Warring to appear in person on November 6. Commission Chairman Jasvir Singh Garhi said, “This matter has come to notice through social media in which the Congress Party’s Punjab unit president and Lok Sabha member from Ludhiana is making colour and caste-based comments towards the country’s late Home Minister and Dalit leader Buta Singh.”
Sarabjot Singh Sidhu, the son of the late Buta Singh, has filed a complaint with the Senior Superintendent of Police, demanding registration of an FIR against Mr. Warring under provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, including Sections 3(1)(r), 3(1)(s), and 3(1)(u), as well as relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
Hitting out at the Congress, senior AAP leader and Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema said Mr. Warring’s remark “is not a mistake but a crime born of caste arrogance that has wounded the hearts of countless people and warrants legal punishment.” Mr. Cheema urged the Congress to expel Mr. Warring, adding that failure to do so “would only reaffirm the party’s anti-Dalit policies.”
The Shiromani Akali Dal has also lodged a complaint with the Tarn Taran police, demanding registration of a case under the SC/ST Act. “Mr. Warring made the remark intentionally, aimed at maligning the SC community and hurting their sentiments,” SAD SC wing president Gulzar Singh Ranike said.
Mr. Warring, in a statement, said, “While I reaffirm and reiterate that I meant no disrespect to late Sardar Buta Singh Ji, if anyone has felt hurt, I tender my unconditional apology.” He added that the late Buta Singh, a veteran Congress leader, was like a father figure to him and that he could never intend any disrespect. Mr. Warring maintained that his reference to Mr. Singh “was in a positive context of the Congress being an inclusive party, which provides opportunities to everyone based on merit and efficiency and does not discriminate in the name of caste, creed or religion.”
BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh demanded that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge apologise, alleging that “Congress has always exploited the downtrodden and weaker sections for political gain without ever working for their upliftment. Warring’s remarks are not just an insult to one individual but a disgrace to the entire nation.”
The Tarn Taran Assembly seat, which fell vacant after the death of AAP MLA Kashmir Singh Sohal in June, is witnessing a triangular contest among the AAP, Congress, and SAD. The AAP has fielded Harmeet Singh Sandhu, a former Akali Dal leader, while the Congress has nominated Karanbir Singh. Sukhwinder Kaur of the SAD and Harjit Singh Sandhu of the BJP are also in the fray.
Published – November 04, 2025 07:55 pm IST
