Congress leader Deepender Hooda, who has come under fire from the leaders of his own party across Punjab and Haryana for describing anti-Sikh riot convict Sajjan Kumar as a “role model” after the latter’s death, has made a U-turn.
The Lok Sabha MP said he was being attacked for words he didn’t utter.
Earlier reporting noted: Haryana Cong leader seeks Deepender’s removal from CWC over Sajjan Kumar praise Former Haryana assembly speaker Kuldeep Sharma on Sunday asked Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to remove Rohtak member of Parliament Deepender Hooda from the Congress Working Committee (CWC) over his remarks praising former party leader Sajjan Kumar. He wrote to the high command demanding Hooda’s removal from the party’s membership and the Congress Working Committee, the highest decision-making panel. “When I became chief minister, I demanded that he be handed over to me so I could demonstrate, on behalf of the Punjab government, how he had murdered humanity. Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring had also reacted to Deepender Hooda’s statement. Hooda and Sharma were once close associates who have since fallen out.
The Lok Sabha MP said he was being attacked for words he didn’t utter. He said he has always stood by the Sikh community. He said eulogising a polarising figure like Sajjan Kumar could carry adverse political ramifications for the party. This is not just about the Sikh community; this man has brought shame to humanity,” he said. Earlier reporting noted: In a letter to Kharge, Sharma said Hooda’s comments “re-opened the wounds” of the Sikh community and could hurt the Congress’s prospects in Punjab, where the party faces elections. Earlier reporting noted: Deepender Hooda had described Sajjan Kumar’s death on August 20 as a “loss to the country’s political landscape”, a role model and praised the former Congress MP’s “connect with people and contribution to Delhi’s development.”
Former Punjab chief minister and Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi also criticised Hooda.
