Maur blasts: It’s no more about winning or losing, says Harminder Singh Jassi

Still visibly shaken after the Tuesday twin blasts at his rally, Congress candidate from Maur Harminder Singh Jassi on Wednesday appealed for peaceful elections in Punjab.

Notwithstanding his senior party colleague Asha Kumari’s tirade against the Aam Aadmi Party for “patronising terror groups”, Jassi maintained: “I do not know whom to blame.”

Jassi was accompanying the party’s Punjab affairs in-charge during his visit to a victim’s family. As they came out of the house, he said in a choked voice: “I just appeal for peaceful polls in Punjab. That will be our victory.”

For Jassi, who entered the Punjab assembly for the first time from Talwandi Sabo in 1992 , the Maur blasts are a sad reminder of the terror-hit regime of late chief minister Beant Singh. “Democracy is at stake. The system somewhere is still failing us,” he said.

Questioned if the Congress will make a comeback this time, Jassi reiterated: “It’s no more about winning or losing the elections. Let the people decide.”

As a pall of gloom descended on the town, even other local Congress leaders refrained from indulging in any blame game. Both Jassi and Akali MLA Janmeja Singh Sekhon spent the day visiting houses of victims to condole their deaths.

Jassi has remained an MLA thrice. After retaining his Talwandi Sabo seat in 1997, he won the 2007 elections from Bathinda Urban. He lost the previous polls to SAD’s Swarup Chand Singla from the same segment by 237 votes. Jassi, whose daughter is married to Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s son, was provided Z-plus security.