Amritsar (Punjab) [India], August 21 (ANI): Punjab Congress leaders on Friday distanced themselves from party MP Deepender Singh Hooda's "role model nationwide" remark for former Congress MP and 1984 anti-Sikh riots convict Sajjan Kumar, with party leaders Gurjeet Singh Aujla and Raj Kumar Verka asserting that they stand with the victims of the violence.
Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, speaking in Amritsar, said Kumar had been punished for his actions and maintained that the party stands with those who lost their lives.
"Sajjan Kumar did misdeeds. He has been punished for his actions. A leader does not lead in harming others. We stand with those who died due to him," Aujla said.
On Hooda's remark, Aujla said, "It must be the personal opinion of Hooda ji but our view is that whatever happened and whoever it happened with, we stand with them, the victims."
Punjab Congress working president Raj Kumar Verka also said the party's priority was to stand with the victims and those affected by the violence.
"Sajjan Kumar's life had been full of controversies. This is a matter related to Punjab and Punjabis have been hurt. If Sajjan Kumar is being held responsible for it, we first stand in support of those innocent people; Sajjan Kumar comes only later," Verka said.
"I don't know who said what. We are Punjabis and we will continue to stand with Punjabis," he said when asked about Hooda's remark.
Congress MP Manish Tewari, meanwhile, declined to comment directly on Hooda's statement, saying, "I haven't read the statement, so it won't be correct to comment on it... If he is saying something, he is capable to speak on it."
Earlier, speaking to ANI on Thursday, Hooda had described Kumar in glowing terms following his death, saying, "Today, the country's political landscape has suffered an irreparable loss... He is cited as a role model nationwide."
The remarks triggered criticism from BJP leaders, with BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu strongly attacking the Congress over its response to Kumar's legacy.
Bittu alleged that Kumar and his associates had systematically targeted Sikh families during the 1984 violence and accused the Congress leadership of shielding him.
"Sajjan Kumar- along with his henchmen - systematically hunted down Sikhs and their families in Delhi, orchestrating a massacre and genocide," Bittu said, alleging that Kumar had been protected until 2014.
He further said, "Mr Phoolka fought the legal battle, and Sajjan Kumar was sentenced to life imprisonment and remained behind bars."
Bittu also demanded that the Punjab and Delhi Congress units clarify their position on Hooda's remarks.
Kumar, 84, died at Safdarjung Hospital on Thursday. Hospital authorities said he had a history of high blood pressure and Parkinson's disease and died at 12:30 pm despite resuscitation and life-support measures.
A former three-time parliamentarian, Kumar was convicted in cases related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The Delhi High Court in December 2018 overturned his acquittal in the Raj Nagar case and sentenced him to life imprisonment. He had remained in jail since then.
In February 2025, a Delhi court awarded Kumar another life sentence in the Saraswati Vihar murder case involving the killing of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh during the 1984 violence. (ANI)
"We stand with victims": Punjab Congress leaders distance from Depeendra Singh Hooda's Sajjan Kumar 'role model' remark
