Coming out in defense of Congress national vice-president, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa on Wednesday questioned wisdom of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his deputy son Sukhbir Badal in seeking apology from Rahul Gandhi for 1984 Delhi riots though “latter is not even remotely linked with the unfortunate incident”.
“Everyone in this country considers 1984 riots an unfortunate and tragic event and everyone condemns it strongly and unequivocally. It must be remembered that both the Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minster Manmohan Singh have apologised to the Sikh community for the riots,” he said. Bajwa stated that no one in the NDA has voiced any regret for the horrific 2002 riots in Gujarat which happened on the watch of their Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, who categorically refused to apologise for that till date.
“It is surprising that the Badals, father and son and their underlings should seek to attack Rahul Gandhi personally for the most unfortunate happenings of 1984. He was after all a teenager at the time and cannot be held responsible in any way for this tragic event. Moreover, Rahul Gandhi visited Harmandir Sahib to pay obeisance. In contrast, Modi had refused to wear Muslims’ skull cap in a function which shows his clear hatred for the minorities,” Bajwa added.
Terming Sukhbir’s call urging Sikhs to boycott Congress in view of 1984 anti-Sikh riots as “sham, drama and gimmickry purely for electoral gains”, Punjab Congress spokesperson Sukhpal Khaira challenged the SAD chief to list even a single measure taken by him as a Minister in the NDA Government from 1999-2004, or any effort to assuage the wounds of riot affected, by four Akali governments formed in the aftermath of riots.
Urging the father-son duo to refrain from blackmailing Sikhs on the “sensitive issue”, Khaira asked them to implement all those promises made to the victims by the SAD-BJP Government in Punjab.