# BJP attacks Congress after MP calls Sajjan Kumar a role model 2026-08-21T07:20:39+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet (2 source reports) The BJP has accused the Congress of eulogising a convicted killer after Congress MP Deepender Hooda described former party leader Sajjan Kumar, who was serving life imprisonment for his role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, as a "role model nationwide". Kumar died at Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital on Thursday at age 80 due to complications from high blood pressure and Parkinson's disease. BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said the tribute exposed "the innate hate Congress has for the Sikh community" and demanded an apology. However, Punjab Congress leaders including MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla and working president Raj Kumar Verka quickly publicly distanced the state unit from Hooda's comments, calling them his personal views. Aujla said Kumar had committed "misdeeds" and the party stands with the victims. The Shiromani Akali Dal also condemned Hooda's remarks. The 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots Victim Welfare Society said victims had still not received justice. The two Times of India articles report the political fallout but not any formal action taken by the Congress party leadership so far. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The BJP and the Sikh political party SAD have attacked the Congress over tributes to Sajjan Kumar, a former party MP convicted in 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases. The first SOURCE from the Times of India leads with the BJP's sharp attack, including the branding of Rahul Gandhi's 'Mohabbat Ki Dukaan' as a facade for hate, and quotes only Congress leaders who praised Kumar, plus a clinical hospital statement on his death. The second SOURCE, also from the Times of India, foregrounds the rapid distancing by Punjab Congress leaders, Gurjeet Singh Aujla and Raj Kumar Verka, who call Hooda's remarks his 'personal views' and insist the party stands with victims, while adding detailed reactions from victim families and the SAD. The overall coverage is straight reporting with no discernible editorial slant, but the news judgment differs: the first article frames the story as an ongoing Congress liability being exploited by opponents, while the second emphasises the internal party damage-control and community hurt. A careful reader should note that the Congress itself is split, with the state-level Punjab unit contradicted by a national MP's statement, and that the BJP is using a single tribute to tar the entire opposition. The concrete next step is the continued judicial silence: victims' families still await final legal closure, and the political row will likely intensify as the next session of Parliament approaches. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Leads with BJP's attack, foregrounds political controversy over congressional tribute, omits party internal distancing until end - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (2) (neutral report) Leads with Punjab Congress distancing, adds victim family reactions, frames story as party facing backlash from within and without This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-21T14:02:16+00:00. Tags: 1984 anti-Sikh riots, BJP, Congress, Pradeep Bhandari, Rahul Gandhi, Sajjan Kumar Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/bjp-attacks-congress-for-hailing-anti-sikh-riot-convict-sajjan-kumar/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/bjp-attacks-congress-for-hailing-anti-sikh-riot-convict-sajjan-kumar/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/