No reconciliation bid… have huge respect for Sikhs: Rahul

“Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, on the floor of the House, had made his and the Congress party’s position very clear. Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi had also done that. I fully endorse what Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi said. I have also made my stance abundantly clear in the past,” Gandhi told a press conference in Hoshiarpur on the sidelines of his footmarch.

In 2005, the then PM Manmohan Singh had apologised to members of Parliament and the nation for the riots. “I have no hesitation in apologising to not only the Sikh community but also to the nation. I bow my head in shame that such a thing happened,” he had told the Rajya Sabha. Earlier, Sonia too had expressed regrets.

Responding to a question that he appeared to be attempting a “reconciliation” with the Sikh community, the Congress MP said, “It is a question of affection. I have tremendous love and affection for the people of Punjab and in particular the Sikh community. So, reconciliation is a small word. I have love and affection for the people of this state and I have huge respect for the Sikh community for what they have done and for what they are going to do in future”. “It is an emotional statement. I think India would not be India, had it not been for the Sikh community. You (Sikhs) play a central role and in many ways, you are the part of the backbone of this country and that is something I value tremendously,” said Gandhi.

Asked if the Congress lost the Punjab Assembly polls last year due to infighting, Gandhi said his party lost the poll because of a lot of anti-incumbency. “There had been issues between the leadership but these are manageable. Now, everybody is walking together,” he said, adding that it has to be accepted that there was an anti-incumbency against the previous Congress government.

“It is a truth and its result was that the Aam Aadmi Party won the elections. But now, I feel that the anti-incumbency against the Congress has vanished and now the Congress is to be built and I feel that we will form the next government easily here,” he said.

On another question about the exodus of several Congress leaders into the BJP in 2022, Gandhi said, “My experience is pretty much, anybody who goes to the BJP, goes there because of a particular type of pressure. It is a hidden pressure you can call it…pressure from the CBI, pressure from the ED, pressure from cases… So, we are happy that these types of people are not in the party anymore,” he said.

The formed AICC chief further said that he has seen tremendous enthusiasm, extremely dynamic workers and a mix of senior and young leaders in the party. “So, what I see in the Congress is extremely capable leadership all the way from the top to the worker level”.

Asked about former minister Navjot Sidhu’s probable role in the party after he comes out of the jail, Gandhi said, “Everybody will have a role to play. We are a democratic party. We like to involve all people and function together.”

Responding to another query, Gandhi said the amount of pressure Indians can take with a smile is mind boggling. It is a tragedy that we are wasting this potential. “It is a tragedy that one per cent of India owns 40 per cent of the assets. It is a tragedy, because it is unfair, but, true, because you are stifling the growth of this country. So, we are heading into an accident on the employment front, we are heading into an accident with the Chinese, we are heading into an accident on multiple fronts.”

Earlier, during the start of his press conference, the Congress leader said 21 persons in the country have money equivalent to what 70 crore people of the country collectively have.