BJP leader seeks arrest of Congress leaders over ‘Pakistani’ remark against Punjabi community
PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
The Bharatiya Janata Party State executive member Kunwar Japinder Singh on Friday demanded the arrest of Aakanksha Negi over her remarks referring to the Khatri Punjabi community as “Pakistani”, claiming that the statement had hurt the sentiments of the community and could create divisions in society. Addressing the media here on Friday, Singh also criticised former cabinet minister and Congress leader Harak Singh Rawat, saying that he had supported and encouraged Negi’s remarks. Singh demanded action against both those who made the remarks and those who supported them.
Singh said that members of the Punjabi community were “deeply hurt and insulted” by the statements. He said that no one should use derogatory language against any community and called for action in the matter. He said that Punjabi, Sikh and Khatri communities had made significant contributions and sacrifices for the country and had a long-standing historical and cultural legacy. Remarks of this nature could create divisions between people from the mountainous areas and plains at a time when communities across Uttarakhand are increasingly connected through social, professional and family ties.
Citing examples of Punjabi families who have lived in villages of Pauri district for generations, Singh said that such relationships reflected the social ties that had developed between different communities in the State. He warned that if Negi is not arrested within 48 hours, he and members of the Punjabi community will launch an indefinite hunger strike. He appealed to members of the Punjabi community and other residents of Uttarakhand to oppose what he described as attempts to create social divisions.
