‘Panj Pyare’ remark: Harish Rawat cleans shoes, sweeps gurdwara floor in Uttarakhand

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 3

Punjab Congress affairs in-charge Harish Rawat cleaned shoes of devotees, swept the floor of Nanakmatta Gurdwara near Khatima in Udham Singh Nagar in Uttarakhand to ‘atone’ for his ‘Panj Pyare’ remark.

On September 1, Rawat had announced to sweep the floor of a gurdwara for referring to Punjab party functionaries as ‘Panj Pyare’.

Rawat, AICC general secretary, had already apologised for hurting the sentiments of the people.

Rawat, who had arrived in Chandigarh amid the rift in the party’s state unit, had used the word ‘Panj Pyare’ for the Punjab Congress chief and four working presidents after a meeting at the Punjab Congress Bhawan.

On his Facebook page, later, Rawat acknowledged his “mistake” for his ‘Panj Pyare’ remark.

“Sometimes by expressing respect, you use such words which are objectionable. I too have made a mistake of using the word ‘Panj Pyare’ for my honourable president and four working presidents,” he wrote. With PTI inputs