Jalandhar: Congress leaders paying tributes to late MP Sajjan Kumar, a convict in the Nov 1984 Sikh massacre cases in Delhi, has attracted sharp reaction from members of the Sikh community . The BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal, too, launched scathing attacks on the Congress over these tributes.Haryana Congress leaders — former MP Randeep Surjewala, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, and his MP son Deepinder Hooda — were the first ones to pay tribute to him, and then some other Congress leaders also followed. “His grassroots connection, recognition of workers, and simple nature will continue to evoke the fragrance of the soil associated with him,” posted Surjewala on his X handle.Calling him “my friend”, Hooda said, “He was not only a good leader but also a spirited person.” Deepinder said, “A loss has occurred on the country’s political horizon that cannot be compensated for. Sajjan Kumar was not only a prominent figure in Delhi and rural Delhi but across North India; his connection with the people was exemplary, and he is cited as a misaal (example) across the country that how he remained with people through their thick and thin….” Deepinder told news agencies. His glowing tribute provided a handle to BJP to attack Congress, stating that he called the convicted MP a ‘role model’.Nirpreet Kaur, who pursued a legal battle against Sajjan, put up a poster outside Deepender Hooda’s residence in Delhi. She stated that Deepender’s calling Sajjan ‘a role model’ reflected that they (Congress leaders) could repeat the same violence against Sikhs.“Congress didn’t just refuse to disown Sajjan Kumar, even after so many eyewitness testimonies & his conviction over 1984 anti-Sikh killings. Look at how proudly they remember him,” posted the pro-farm X handle @Tractor2twitrP while sharing screenshots of X posts of Surjewala, Hooda senior, and statements of Congress leaders Udit Raj and Pawan Khera.Senior advocate H S Phoolka, who has been the face of the legal battle for justice for 1984 massacre victims and also appeared against the late MP in which he was convicted, said that Congress calling Sajjan Kumar a role model was shameful. He held that the party had still not changed. “Congress leaders publicly praising Sajjan Kumar & calling him a friend cannot be dismissed as private sentiment. Public words reveal public values. For us, Sajjan Kumar was a butcher. If he was your friend, we have little reason to believe your claims of secularism & inclusivity,” posted Sanam Sutirath Wazir, author of ‘The Kaurs of 1984: The Untold, Unheard Stories of Sikh Women’.”BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal leaders strongly criticised Congress, alleging that its leaders called him “a role model”.
