Facing backlash, Deepender Hooda says never called Sajjan Kumar 'role model'

Gurugram: Facing flak for allegedly calling Sajjan Kumar a role model and describing his death as an "irreparable loss", Rohtak Congress MP Deepender Hooda on Sunday tried to clarify his remarks, saying he never used the words role model, nor was there any such sentiment.

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 Thursday.

Condoling Kumar's demise, Hooda termed it a "loss to the country's political landscape", and praised the former Congress MP's "connect with people and contribution to Delhi's development".


The remarks drew sharp reactions, particularly in Punjab, where the SAD, BJP and the AAP hit out at the Congress for its "anti-Sikh mindset".

When reporters asked Hooda if he had called Kumar a role model, the Rohtak MP said, "I did not use the words, nor did I harbour any such sentiment."

Hooda, son of former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, added, "These words are being put in my mouth by those who wish to play politics by undermining the spirit of brotherhood.

"I had no intention of hurting anyone's feelings; those who know me are aware that I never harboured any intent to cause hurt to anyone."

"As for the Sikh community, people know that we have always stood by them and supported them in every way. We share a centuries-old bond of brotherhood with Sikhs; our family has been connected with them through both joys and sorrows, and we have stood by them in every struggle.

"When it came to the rights of the Sikh brethren, we have always taken a stand. We stood in support during the farmers' agitation," he said.

He also said that his family's position on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots had been clear from the very beginning.

"A grave injustice took place; the guilty must face strict punishment; the Sikh community deserves justice - this has been our consistent stance. We stand fully with the Sikh community," the Congress MP said.

On Saturday, AAP MLA from Punjab, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, said the wounds of the 1984 anti-Sikh massacre were still alive in the hearts of Sikhs as he called Kumar's remarks deeply hurtful to the community.

"If a senior Congress leader calls Sajjan Kumar his role model, it raises serious questions about the mindset and politics of the party," Dhaliwal said.

Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon on Friday said that even 42 years after the "horrific and painful" 1984 Sikh massacre, the wounds of the victim families remained unhealed.

"At such a sensitive time, describing a key convict in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as a role model was a condemnable attempt to rub salt on the wounds of the victim families and reopen their painful memories," Dhillon said.

Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring sought to distance the state unit from Hooda's remarks, saying they may have reflected his "personal view".

Congress leader and former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Saturday described Kumar as a "murderer of Sikhs" and a "traitor".

"He conspired to have Sikhs killed... Far from being a role model, even uttering his name is a sin. If such people become role models, the country will be destroyed," Channi said.