E-Paper
Action will be taken if something 'insulting' was said: Uttarakhand ex-CM Rawat
Rawat’s comments come in the backdrop of Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu’s advisor posting a sketch of the former Prime Minister on social media.
Senior Congress leader and former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat on Monday said that action will be taken against party workers if anyone was found making insulting comments against former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Rawat’s comments come in the backdrop of Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu’s advisor posting a sketch of the former Prime Minister on social media.
“She was one of the most popular leaders and a mother figure to us. If something insulting was said about her, we will condemn it and if it is proven during collection of info then action will be taken,” Rawat was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. Rawat also clarified that the party strictly maintains that Jammu & Kashmir is an integral part of India.
“Nobody has the right to cast a doubt on that status, let alone issuing a statement,” Rawat said. He however said that there is a possibility that the statements made by Sidhu’s advisors were twisted ahead of the polls which will be held in Punjab next year.
Controversy erupted after Sidhu's advisors Malvinder Singh Mali and Pyare Lal Garg made remarks regarding the revocation of Article 370 and Article 35A in Kashmir and Pakistan respectively to which Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh took exception. He also asked the newly-appointed Punjab Congress to ‘rein’ in his advisors. “The atrocious and ill-conceived comments were potentially dangerous to the peace and stability of the state and the country,” Singh said in a statement.
Sidhu’s advisor Malvinder Singh Mali however told news agency ANI that the posts made in social media were ‘final’. “Whatever I had to say, I've said on social media, and that is final. If anyone makes a mistake, they should reflect. We must continue to work for the welfare of Punjab,” Mali, who called Kashmir a country of the Kashmiri people, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. Garg and Mali were both summoned by Sidhu after their comments led to widespread criticism from the BJP, Shiromani Akali Dal and even from leaders within the Congress.
