Politics
Archived — This article has been archived. The information may be outdated.
Parties question Congress tributes after Sajjan Kumar death
NDTV··21 Aug
After former MP Sajjan Kumar died on 20 August 2026 at 80, Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda called the death an irreparable loss and said Kumar had been regarded as a role model. Leader Udit Raj also called it a great loss. BJP, AAP and Shiromani Akali Dal questioned those tributes. Punjab Congress leaders issued no public condolence that day.
Prism
What It Means For You
- If you vote in Punjab, the gap to watch is that state Congress names stayed silent while some leaders outside Punjab posted tributes.
- Anyone following 1984 cases can note Kumar died while his challenge to the High Court conviction was still pending.
- If you read Hooda's words, the phrase in dispute is calling Kumar a role model, not the fact of his death in hospital.
What's Happening
- BJP linked the tributes to Rahul Gandhi's mohabbat ki dukan line. SAD's Daljeet Singh Cheema said the party was still defending Kumar.
- AAP leader Baltej Pannu said the death had shown Congress's stance toward minorities.
- Kumar died on the day a court was listed to hear an appeal related to the 1984 case.
The 2018 Judgment That Still Shapes This Death
- The Delhi High Court convicted Kumar of conspiracy and related offences in the killing of five Sikhs at Raj Nagar, Palam, in November 1984, and the burning of a gurdwara.
- He was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1980, 1991 and 2004. Congress did not give him a 2009 ticket.
- He had been in Tihar since 2018. The party's top leadership issued no immediate condolence, which NDTV and The Hindu both recorded as politically sensitive in Punjab.
all-newsdaily-roundup
