As Cong proposes to suspend him, Sunil Jakhar gets rival’s support: ‘Party already weak’
“I wish the Congress good luck,” Jakhar told reporters, refusing to comment on his next step. Increasingly isolated in the party over repeated criticism, the one-time Congress heavyweight, however, received support from an unexpected quarter. Former minister Raj Kumar Verka, who had demanded his expulsion earlier this month, urged the A K Antony-led committee to withdraw its recommendation.
The action against Jakhar was proposed after the central Congress leader in charge of the Punjab unit, Harish Chaudhary, wrote to Gandhi, objecting to some of the recent statements of the former Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief. In the run-up to the Punjab elections, Jakhar labelled former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi a liability. He also claimed that the Congress leadership did not choose him as its chief ministerial face as he is Hindu, and continued criticising Channi after the poll debacle last month. Around two weeks ago, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes directed the Jalandhar police to register an FIR against Jakhar for allegedly making objectionable comments about Dalits in a television interview. Though the three-time MLA did not name anyone, his remarks were construed to be aimed at Channi, who is Dalit.
Calling on the Congress disciplinary committee to rescind its recommendation, Verka, who is also Dalit, told The Indian Express, “I do not think it is time to take such decisions. The party is already weak. The Congress should keep everyone together. We all need to correct our mistakes. If an individual makes a mistake, then the individual should improve. And if the party has made mistakes, there should be corrective measures.”
The former minister said many leaders in the Congress had questioned the high command and it would not be right to make the former PPCC chief the scapegoat. “The recommendation should be withdrawn. Sunil Jakhar has already apologised for his remark on Dalits. He also went to Guru Ravidas Temple to apologise. He also used to fight for the Dalit cause in past and we should also keep that in mind and Congress high command must withdraw this recommendation against Jakhar.”
On April 6, Verka accused Jakhar of hurting Dalit sentiments and asked him to apologise immediately. He said, “I want to show the mirror to Sunil Jakhar. He has used objectionable words against Dalits and should apologise to the Dalit society of Babasaheb Ambedkar. If you (Jakhar) do not immediately apologise, then Dalits will force the Congress high command to throw you out of the party.”
In its show-cause notice on April 11, Congress disciplinary action committee’s member secretary Tariq Anwar referred to Chaudhary’s letter and said he had pointed out that “you (Jakhar) have made derogatory statements against Congress leaders and also attributed motives to the leadership of thinking on communal lines while deciding the leadership of CLP Punjab”.
In response to Verka’s comments, Jakhar had said on April 6 that his message was not for any particular caste but for leaders who were pressuring the central leadership. “I have always fought for the cause of the backward classes. The allegation of insulting the Dalit society has been presented in a twisted manner. My intention was not to hurt anyone’s sentiments at all… Still, if anyone was hurt by my statement, I regret that.”
In the case of Thomas, the Congress disciplinary panel advised the leadership to remove him from party posts for attending a CPM seminar earlier this month. Kerala PCC president K Sudhakaran had asked Thomas and Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor not to participate in the seminar. While Tharoor complied, Thomas attended the seminar on April 9, prompting Sudhakaran to write to Gandhi seeking “strict and befitting disciplinary action” against the veteran leader.
