Panj Pyaras row: Rawat tenders apology
CHANDIGARH: Under fire, All India Congress Committee general secretary in-charge of Punjab affairs Harish Rawat on Wednesday apologised for his Panj Pyaras remark, stating that he had no intention of hurting Sikh sentiments.
Rawat, who is in Chandigarh to mediate between the warring factions of the Punjab Congress for unity in the party, said that “sometimes while expressing respect you use such words that are objectionable. I too made the mistake of using the expression Panj Pyare yesterday to refer to our (Punjab Congress) president and working presidents. I am a student of history of the country and the leadership position of Panj Pyare (five beloved ones) cannot be compared with anyone else. I have made this mistake, and I apologise for hurting people’s sentiments,” he posted in Hindi on Facebook.
The former Uttarakhand chief minister also said that as atonement, he will clean a gurdwara in his home state with a broom.
Register case against Rawat: SAD
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday demanded registration of a criminal case against Harish Rawat for hurting the religious sentiments of the Sikhs by terming some Congress leaders “Panj Pyaras”.
In a statement, party spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema said it was shocking that Rawat
equated Congress leaders with the “Panj Pyaras” who occupied
a very high position in Sikhism. “Such an atrocious statement is an insult to Sikhs worldwide and will not be tolerated. Rawat should be taken to task immediately,” he said.
Bajwa discusses political situation with Punjab affairs in-charge
Rajya Sabha member Partap Singh Bajwa on Wednesday met AICC general secretary and in-charge of Punjab affairs Harish Rawat and held a threadbare discussion on the present political situation in the state.
“Discussed challenges that are facing the Congress both organisationally and at the government level. I suggested ways to overcome these challenges to ensure the victory of the party in 2022,” Bajwa tweeted after the meeting.
Before his meeting with chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh, Rawat also had a oneon-one meeting with Mohammad Mustafa, principal strategic adviser to Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, who later said there was a problem in the state unit. “I have suggested a solution that will help,” the retired IPS officer said, refusing to go into details.
MLA Barindermeet Pahra, who also met Rawat, said that the present situation was damaging the party. The party leadership should put a break to infighting and work on fulfilling promises, he added.