AMRITSAR: Harish Rawat, general secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), who had admitted the mistake of calling the Punjab Congress leadership 'Panj Pyare', cleaned the gurdwara on Friday and performed penance by cleaning people's shoes.
He had already apologized and talked about cleaning the gurdwara. Rawat cleaned the shoes of devotees at Gurdwara Nanakmata near Khatima in Dhamdham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand.
Rawat had used the term 'Panj Pyare' for the Punjab Congress president and his four acting presidents after a meeting at the Punjab Congress Bhawan in Chandigarh on Tuesday.
In the Sikh tradition, 'Panj Pyare Ka Rishta' is used for the Guru's Panj Pyare. It is associated with the tenth Guru Gobind Singh of the Sikhs and his five followers, who founded the Khalsa Panth.
On his Facebook page, Rawat admitted the mistake for his 'Panj Pyare' comment. "Sometimes you use words that may be objectionable to show respect. I have also made the mistake of using the word 'Panj Pyare' for my esteemed president and four acting presidents, " Rawat wrote. .
Rawat said he had been a student of the country's history and the leadership position of Panj Pyare could not be compared to any other.
"I made this mistake. I apologize for hurting people's feelings, " he said. Rawat is in charge of Punjab affairs of the Congress.
He said that he would atone for his mistake by cleaning Gurdwara Sahib in his state of Uttarakhand.
Rawat said that there has always been a sense of devotion and respect for Sikhism and its great traditions.