New Delhi/Chandigarh, Aug. 24 -- Congress MP from Rohtak Deepender Hooda on Sunday regretted his remarks describing the death of 1984 anti-Sikh riots convict Sajjan Kumar as an "irreparable loss"-comments that triggered a major political row with party leaders from both Punjab and Haryana castigating him. "My intention or objective was never to hurt anyone's heart. The Sikh community is a proud community of our country, and I am proud of such a community, whose sacrifices can never be forgotten," Deepender said in a press statement issued from Chandigarh, adding that the word "role model" was never part of his statement. Sajjan Kumar, 80, a three-time former MP, died at Safdarjung Hospital on August 20. He was serving two life terms for his role in the riots. Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring sought to distance the state unit from the remarks, calling them Hooda's "personal view." Former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi said Kumar "orchestrated the conspiracy to have Sikhs killed and massacred and did not even deserve a place in a jail cell." With the Punjab assembly election due within months, the internal split has put Congress on the back foot in a state where memories of 1984 remain politically sensitive, and where the party's own divisions are now being read as a sign of confusion over its Sikh outreach. Facing mounting pressure, Hooda clarified that the word "role model" was never part of his statement. "For the past two days, I have been watching my statement being twisted and presented before people. An English word is also being inserted into my statement, which I never said," he said. He maintained that his family has shared ties with the Sikh community across four generations, citing his great-grandfather Chaudhary Maturam's imprisonment alongside Sardar Ajit Singh during the 1908 Pagri Sambhal Jatta movement as proof of that history. He also pointed to his recent visits to farmer groups arriving from Punjab as evidence of continuing solidarity, saying he has "always stood together in every struggle" with the community. "If any brother's sentiments have been hurt, I am your brother, and I express my regret," Hooda said, adding that he has always stood for justice for Sikh families affected by the 1984 riots. Members of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee protested outside the residence of the leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, in Delhi, demanding an apology from the party. "Forty-two years later, the wounds of our families have been reopened," a DSGMC leader said at the protest. Haryana Congress leader and former assembly speaker Kuldeep Sharma wrote to party president Mallikarjun Kharge, seeking Hooda's removal from the Congress Working Committee. In an August 23 communication to Kharge, Kuldeep said Hooda's comments had "re-opened the wounds" of the Sikh community and could damage the Congress's prospects in Punjab, where the party faces elections. "Ever since Deepender Hooda, permanent invitee to the CWC, has issued a statement extolling the virtues of Sajjan Kumar as a role model it has sent shock waves among the Sikh community of India. A few of my Sikh friends from Haryana and Punjab have called me to express their resentment over such irresponsible statements," Sharma wrote. He said that after the kisan agitation, the Sikh community had overwhelmingly voted for the Congress, but after such a statement, the community is having second thoughts about supporting the Congress. "The opposition parties are taking up the issue for political gain," he added. Earlier, Deepender's remarks drew attacks from the BJP and AAP in Punjab. State BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon called theremarks a "condemnable attempt to rub salt on the wounds of victim families," while AAP spokesperson Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal questioned the silence of Punjab Congress leaders, including Partap Singh Bajwa and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa....