The death of former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, who was serving a life sentence in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, has landed the party in a fresh political soup in Punjab.
the Punjab Congress leadership has so far maintained silence on the issue While tributes from Congress leaders outside Punjab have triggered a political backlash.
The remarks have drawn sharp criticism. AAP has also joined the attack. For Congress, the striking contrast is that while leaders outside Punjab have publicly condoled Kumar’s death, no prominent Punjab Congress leader has issued a statement.
The BJP has seized on the statements to target Congress, questioning how the party could honour a man convicted in the 1984 violence while Rahul Gandhi speaks of “mohabbat ki dukan. That silence underlines just how politically sensitive the issue remains in Punjab, where the memory of 1984 continues to influence Sikh political sentiment.
Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda described Kumar’s death as “an irreparable loss” and said he had been regarded as a “role model” across the country. Congress leader Udit Raj too described Kumar’s death as “a great and irreparable loss” for the party. AAP leader Baltej Pannu said that Sajjan Kumar’s death had exposed Congress’s “real face towards minorities”.
