'Penance' for 'Panj Pyare' remark, Harish Rawat cleans devotees shoes, sweeps Uttarakhand Gurudwara's floor

Punjab Congress in-charge Harish Rawat on Friday cleaned shoes of devotees and swept the floor of Nanakmatta Gurudwara near Khatima in Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand as an apology for referring to Punjab party functionaries as "Panj Pyare".

Congress's Punjab in-charge had covered his head, as a part of the tradition of the Sikh community, and was seen doing 'Sewa' by wiping shoes of devotees and sweeping the floor of the gurudwara at his native Uttarakhand.

'Sewa' meaning 'selfless service' and involves helping others in a variety of ways, without any reward or personal gain. For Sikhs, it is a way to show one's faith in god.

On September 1, Rawat has announced to sweep the floor of a gurudwara as part of his promised "penance" for recently comparing Navjot Sidhu and his team to "Panj Pyare", a term of reverence for Sikhs.

Addressing the media, Rawat on Wednesday said that for the atonement of his mistake, he will sweep the floors of a Gurudwara in Uttarakhand.

"I used that word (Panj Pyare) as a reference for a respected person. Still, if my words hurt the feelings of any person, I apologise and take my words back. For atonement, I'll sweep the floors of a Gurudwara in my state (Uttarakhand)," Rawat said.

On Tuesday, Rawat used the term in reference to Navjot Singh Sidhu and four other working presidents of PPCC.

Speaking about issues that the Congress is facing in the state, Rawat had said in Chandigarh yesterday, "As far as I know, Navjot Singh Sidhu is the first PCC chief who held a meeting with all frontal organisations and others to find out that where are they facing problems in their functions and how can it be resolved."

He added "It was my responsibility to discuss with the PCC chief, his team and our 'Panj Pyare' (Navjot Singh Sidhu and four other working presidents)."

( With inputs from ANI )