Sunil Jakhar's 'Dalit remarks' spark row

Chandigarh/Amritsar, April 6

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A fresh war of words erupted between former PCC president Sunil Jakhar and former MLA Raj Kumar Verka.

“In an interview clip that has gone viral, it appears as if he (Jakhar) has lost his humanity. I asked him to be apologetic towards the Baba Saheb Ambedkar’s community, otherwise we would have been compelled to launch a crusade against him and seek his removal from the party,” Verka said.

However, he said he had come to know that Jakhar had regretted his remarks. “If he has admitted his mistake, it is fine with me,” he said.

Hours after Verka trained guns at him over his remarks allegedly aimed at Dalit leaders, Jakhar said his statement was being quoted out of context. He said he only stated certain leaders in Delhi were pressurising the high command and they should not be given importance. Jakhar said he always respected all castes and religions and had nowhere named any person in his statement.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Nimisha Mehta, who quit the Congress weeks ahead of the Punjab polls, said Congress president Sonia Gandhi should immediately apologise to the SC community for the wrongs committed by party leaders. —