Chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday visited Adampur in Hisar district and paid tributes to former chief minister Bhajan Lal on his death anniversary.
Hours after Saini joined the Bishnoi family in paying tributes, former MP Kuldeep Bishnoi softened his stand against the controversial remarks made by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Rekha Sharma against his father and the Congress stalwart.
“The incident that happened in the recent days and the way an attempt was made to hurt the honour of Chaudhary Bhajan Lal made me deeply sad. The insult to my father was like a wound on my soul, and for a son, nothing is above the honour of his father. I was about to make a big decision. That decision was not only for myself, but for the honour of Chaudhary Sahab and for the self-respect of all of you. But politics does not run only on emotions,” he said in a video message shared on his X account.
“Today, the respect we have got from BJP has left me completely satisfied. Moreover, when the other person accepted the mistake, apologised and took back the words, then our culture also teaches us that the one who forgives is the greatest,” he said without naming the BJP MP.
“Some people said that Kuldeep forgave very quickly. That is not true. I want to tell them that the apology video had come two days earlier. I watched that video, did not show it to my friends, but discussed it. After all those discussions, I sent that video back along with my own video and uploaded both. Therefore, none of my decisions were taken in a haste”, he clarified.
{{/usCountry}}“Some people said that Kuldeep forgave very quickly. That is not true. I want to tell them that the apology video had come two days earlier. I watched that video, did not show it to my friends, but discussed it. After all those discussions, I sent that video back along with my own video and uploaded both. Therefore, none of my decisions were taken in a haste”, he clarified.
{{/usCountry}}The controversy erupted on April 24 when Rekha Sharma, during a programme in Panchkula, alleged that “badmashi” prevailed in Panchkula during the era of Bhajan Lal and former deputy CM Chandermohan, and that elections were won through such tactics. The remarks sparked sharp reactions from the Bishnoi family and Congress leaders, as Kuldeep’s elder brother and Panchkula MLA filed a defamation suit and a criminal complaint against the BJP MP, seeking unconditional apology.
Bishnoi’s softened stand came shortly after CM Saini visited his Delhi residence on June 1. He said that Bhajan Lal’s followers do not believe in the politics of vendetta saying, “I have gained even more strength. I will continue to fight for your honour and love in the future as well”.