Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and party MP Charanjit Singh Channi have publicly distanced themselves from Deepender Singh Hooda’s comments regarding the death of Sajjan Kumar. Hooda referred to Kumar’s passing as an “irreparable loss,” a statement that has not been supported by Warring and Channi.
Rahul Gandhi has to clarify today whether Sajjan Kumar is their hero. “He should have been shot publicly in a chowk. The protesters, led by Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee president Harmeet Singh Kalka and general secretary Jagdeep Singh Kahlon, demanded an apology from Gandhi and Congress leaders. “Forty-two years later, the wounds of our families have been reopened. Our sentiments have been hurt. His remarks drew sharp criticism from opposition parties and triggered questions over the Congress leadership’s position on a man convicted in riot-linked cases.
Controversial former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, who was serving two life sentences in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, died at the age of 80 on August 20. “No person whether a Sikh or a non-Sikh can forget the pain and trauma of 1984. The remarks triggered protests by Sikh leaders and families affected by the 1984 violence outside Rahul Gandhi’s residence in New Delhi on Saturday.
Condoling his death, Hooda, the Congress MP from Rohtak, had said that Kumar’s death was a “loss to the country’s political landscape” and praised his “connect with people and contribution to Delhi’s development”. The remarks triggered sharp reactions from his party colleagues Warring and Channi, with Warring saying that Hooda’s comments may be his “personal view”, stressing that for many, the wounds of the riots were still fresh. Despite the passage of so much time, the trauma runs deep in people’s minds,” he said. He died in jail while serving sentence,” Channi said. A DSGMC leader said, “After Sajjan Kumar’s death, the kind of statements given by Congress leaders saying Sajjan Kumar is our hero are objectionable. Rahul Gandhi and Congress leaders must acknowledge and apologise,” he said. Earlier reporting noted: ‘Killer Of Sikhs’: Punjab Congress Leaders Slam Praise For Sajjan Kumar ‘Killer Of Sikhs’: Punjab Congress Leaders Slam Praise For Sajjan Kumar ‘Killer Of Sikhs’: Punjab Congress Leaders Slam Praise For Sajjan Kumar Earlier reporting noted: Leaders from the Congress in Punjab have broken their silence over the controversy surrounding Sajjan Kumar, days after senior party figure Deepender Singh Hooda’s remarks terming the former Congress MP’s death an “irreparable loss” triggered a political backlash. Earlier reporting noted: Hooda had described Kumar as a prominent political figure whose connection with the people was “exemplary”.
