Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, on Monday came down heavily on the AAP government, accusing it of trying to quietly sideline the Punjabi language and deny jobs to local youth in the recruitment of 166 posts in Sugarfed Punjab.
Bajwa claimed that the AAP government originally allowed candidates who hadn’t passed Punjabi in Class 10 to still appear for the recruitment exam, provided they cleared a basic Punjabi test during their three-year probation period.
-“This was a deliberate move to bring in non-Punjabis through the backdoor,” Bajwa alleged, adding that the government only changed the rule after strong public criticism and media backlash.
He called it a “deceitful U-turn”, not a genuine policy correction. “This isn’t good governance — it’s betrayal,” said Bajwa, accusing the AAP of repeatedly trying to weaken Punjab’s language and culture, only to backtrack under pressure.
-“This has become a regular pattern — the government quietly makes anti-Punjab decisions, and when caught, acts like it was a mistake,” he said.
Bajwa also attacked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, accusing him of letting Delhi leaders take control of Punjab’s institutions. He said the Sugarfed episode was yet another example of outside interference in state matters, which is gradually harming Punjab’s autonomy and identity.
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