Deepender Hooda makes U-turn after backlash over Sajjan Kumar 'role model' remark

Congress MP and former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi has criticized his party colleagues for praising former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar as a role model. In a video posted on X, Channi stated that Kumar was a killer of the Sikh community and a traitor for conspiring to have Sikhs killed. He emphasized that even mentioning his name is a sin and that if such individuals become role models, the country would be destroyed. Channi suggested that those who call Kumar a role model should mind their tongue and themselves.

The controversy arose following Kumar's death on Thursday, with some Congress leaders, including Deependra Hooda, describing his passing as an irreparable loss. Hooda praised Kumar's connection with people and his contribution to Delhi's development. However, Channi's comments sparked criticism from Sikh groups and political parties, who protested outside Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's residence in New Delhi.

The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee demanded an apology and questioned whether Hooda's remarks represented the Congress' stance.

Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring distanced himself and the party from Hooda's comments, stating that they might be Hooda's personal view. Kumar, who died at the age of 80 while serving a life sentence for his role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, was convicted in the Raj Nagar case involving the killing of five family members and the burning of a gurdwara.