Sonia Gandhi must clarify her stand on Sunil Jakhar’s anti-dalit remark: AAP
India Today
Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders said on Friday that Congress president Sonia Gandhi must clarify her position on Sunil Jakhar's anti-Dalit statement.
Targeting Congress national president Sonia Gandhi, former president Rahul Gandhi and party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi over their silence on anti-Dalit remarks by former Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Sunil Jakhar, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday said the Congress high command should clarify their stand on the matter.
AAP senior leaders Manwinder Singh Giaspura, MLA Payal, and Rupinder Singh Happy, MLA Bassi Pathana, stated that if the Congress high command did not take strict action against Sunil Jakhar, the Punjab government would take action against him under the SC/ST act, as demanded by the Dalit community.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters on Friday, MLA Manwinder Singh Giaspura said, "Senior Congress leader Sunil Jakhar has insulted the Dalit community, but instead of taking action, Sonia Gandhi and the Congress high command are staying silent and encouraging Sunil Jakhar and his anti-Dalit mentality."
"The silence of the Congress High Command and unrepentant Sunil Jakhar proves that, in the eyes of the Congress, the Dalit community has no dignity. Charanjit Singh Channi was made the chief minister, but the mindset of Congress’s national and state leadership is full of hatred towards Dalits and poor society. Sunil Jakhar has substantiated the same with his words now," he said.
AAP MLA Giaspura further said that the Congress was responsible for the 1984 Sikh massacre and a Sikh leader, Dr Manmohan Singh, apologised for it when Congress never took responsibility for it.
They are treating this issue similarly so that it will eventually abate, said Giaspura.
Rupinder Singh Happy, AAP MLA from Bassi Pathana, said, "Sunil Jakhar's statement is against Punjab’s brotherhood and humanity. The Congress has been taking advantage of the Dalit vote bank for a long time, but the Congress has regard for their dignity."
