SAD hits back, says it is akin to saying Indira and Rajiv were not assassinated
Congress president Rahul Gandhi continues to be in the eye of storm in the country as he speaks abroad, this time in london. His denial that the Congress had a hand in the 1984 Sikh riots evoked a sharp riposte from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) which said it was akin to saying that Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi were not assassinated.
Rahul, who is on a five-day foreign tour, had first triggered controversy in Hamburg in Germany where in a lecture he said unemployment generated by the wrong economic decisions coupled with non-inclusive policies of the Modi Government could lead to terrorism and cited the rise of the dreaded Islamic terrorist group ISIS as an example. He later compared the RSS with the extremist Islamic outfit Muslim Brotherhood. These comments were strongly objected by the BJP, which charged the Congress leader with demeaning the country with his “immature” views and said he undid any leadership qualities he had.
This time around in london, Rahul denied his party’s involvement in the anti-Sikh riots that occurred after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984, claiming lives of thousands of Sikh men, women and children in Delhi and across the country with mobs, allegedly instigated by Congressmen, attacking Sikh localities. The Sikh riots were probed by more than one commission under different dispensations at the Centre.
The SAD took strong exception to Rahul’s statement with its chief Sukhbir Singh Badal saying he has rubbed salt into the wounds even as his wife and Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur maintained that if Congress was not involved then Indira and Rajiv were also not assassinated.
“If as per him (Rahul) the Sikh massacre never took place then I think his father and grandmother were never assassinated, they died of normal heart attack,” retorted Kaur.
Sukhbir alleged that Rahul was trying to defend Congressmen allegedly involved in the Sikh riots. “I want to ask Rahul if Congress leaders were not involved in anti-Sikh riots then why it withdrew tickets given to Congress leaders HKl Bhagat, Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar. Why was Jagdish Tytler removed from the Ministry in the Manmohan Singh-led Government,” asked the SAD leader.
Answering a question on Congress’ involvement in the infamous riots, Rahul had on Friday said, “I have no confusion in my mind about that. It was a tragedy, it was a painful experience. You say the Congress party was involved in that, I don’t agree. Certainly there was violence, there was tragedy.”
The Congress issued a statement clarifying Rahul’s words and claimed that the question was “planted”. It said, “Responding to a planted and hostile question which contained a sweeping statement that Congress party was criminally involved in the 1984 riots, Rahul said that’s a wrong statement. Congress party was not criminally involved in the riots. What happened was very sad, it was very unfortunate.
“Congress has condemned the incident and our leaders have condemned what happened and we stand with those who suffered in the riots. We believe that the perpetrators must be punished,” it said.
In 2013, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had tendered an apology in Parliament for the killings of Sikhs in 1984. Former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi too had thereafter expressed regrets over the riots, following which Rahul too himself said he shared their sentiments.
Commenting on the stand taken by the Congress and Rahul, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said, “Rahul has undone any leadership qualities that he had. Remember there was an apology from Manmohan.”
Coming to the rescue of Rahul, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said the former could not be held responsible for what happened as he was 13 or 14 years of age then.
“The Congress was in office in 1984. A very terrible thing happened in 1984 for which Manmohan apologised in Parliament. You can’t hold Rahul responsible for that, he was 13 or 14. He hasn’t absolved anyone,” Chidambaram told reporters in Kolkata.