Punjab minister Ravjot Singh on Wednesday said he has filed a police complaint against SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia for allegedly sharing "edited photographs" of him with his ex-wife on social media.
He condemned the alleged act as a deliberate attempt to malign his personal and political reputation.
The minister claimed that the pictures were edited with some AI tool, as he described the act as a "new low in Punjab politics," to tarnish women and the Scheduled Caste (SC) community.
"The photograph shared by him (Majithia) on social media is a disgraceful and unethical attempt to mislead the public and defame me. The woman is someone's daughter, mother or sister. This act is not just an attack on me but an insult to all women. Such tactics are a reflection of the low level of politics practised by such leaders," Singh, a Dalit, said.
"An irrelevant leader of the irrelevant party took up an irrelevant issue ahead of the by-election," he said, referring to Majithia and the Ludhiana West Assembly bypoll taking place tomorrow.
Singh said Majithia has a history of "oppressing" the Dalit community when the Akalis were in power.
"This is a deliberate attempt to undermine the dignity of leaders from the SC community. Majithia and his party have repeatedly targeted our leaders. But they will not succeed in their attempts to derail our mission of inclusive development," he said.
Calling Majithia a "hypocrite," Singh, "These leaders portray themselves as religious and pious in public, but resort to such shameful acts behind closed doors. Their actions are a stain on Sikh values and ethics." The minister said an investigation is underway against Majithia.
"We trust the investigative agencies to bring the truth to light. This is not just about me, this is about setting an example that such malicious campaigns will not be tolerated in Punjab politics," he added.
Meanwhile, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) alleged that the minister was himself responsible for making his pictures with his ex-wife viral.
SAD spokesman Arshdeep Singh Kler said the matter should be handed over to the CBI for a probe.
"The CBI enquiry alone can expose how these pictures were clicked and how they were transferred to the mobile phones of other people by Ravjot Singh," Kler said.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
