Haryana Cong leader seeks Deepender’s removal from CWC over Sajjan Kumar praise

Former Haryana assembly speaker Kuldeep Sharma has demanded that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge remove Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda from the Congress Working Committee (CWC) due to Hooda's praise for former party leader Sajjan Kumar. In a letter to Kharge, Sharma claimed that Hooda's comments "re-opened the wounds" of the Sikh community and could negatively impact the Congress's performance in Punjab elections slated for 2027.

Hooda and Sharma had previously been close associates, but their relationship has since deteriorated. Hooda had referred to Sajjan Kumar's death on August 20 as a "loss to the country's political landscape," described him as a "role model," and praised his "connect with people and contribution to Delhi's development." Sajjan Kumar, 80 at the time of his death, was serving a life sentence for leading a mob that killed five Sikhs and burned a gurdwara in 1984.

Hooda's remarks have been strongly condemned by other Congress leaders in Punjab, including Lok Sabha MP Charanjit Singh Channi and former chief minister Amarinder Singh. Channi called Kumar a "disgrace to humanity" and said that it was unacceptable to praise him. Amarinder Singh emphasized that for many, the wounds of the 1984 riots were still fresh.

The former Haryana assembly speaker wrote that after the farmers' agitation, the Sikh community had supported the Congress, but Hooda's statement could change that. He urged that Hooda be removed from the CWC to demonstrate the party's commitment to its Sikh constituency and heal the wounds reopened by Hooda's remarks. In response to the backlash, Hooda stated that he did not intend to hurt anyone's feelings and reiterated his support for the Sikh community and those responsible for the injustices of 1984.