The dust of controversy raised by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on the 1984 riots has refused to settle down.
Days after Rahul’s open admission of involvement of some Congressmen in the riots chagrined the political and religious outfits in Punjab, the dharnas, protests were planned across the State, and the national Capital too by the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the Punjab. Besides seeking an apology from the Congress, the Gandhi scion has been asked to reveal names of all Congress leaders involved in the 1984 riots. The SAD has, in fact, asked the Congress leaders in Punjab to renounce the party on moral grounds.
On the contrary, the Punjab Congress has termed SAD’s call urging Sikhs to boycott the Congress in view of 1984 anti-Sikh riots a “sham, drama and gimmickry purely for electoral gains”.
Reacting sharply on Rahul Gandhi’s admission that “1984 anti-Sikh riots were handiwork of certain Congressmen and not the entire party”, Punjab Chief Minister and SAD patron Parkash Singh Badal has asked the Nehru-Gandhi scion “what deterred his party and Government from acting against those Congress leaders who were involved in this heinous act”.
Badal, interacting with mediapersons on sidelines of his Sangat Darshan programme in Sri Muktsar Sahib Assembly segment, said that now when Rahul Gandhi has admitted, “he owes an answer to the public that why these Congress leaders have not been punished so far”. Outrightly rejecting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s demand for setting up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Badal maintained that there was hardly any need for it as several earlier high-level enquiries have pointed towards Congress leaders’ role in this “planned” mass massacre of Sikhs.
“The need of the hour is to take exemplary action against Congress leaders involved in this dastardly act so that succor could be provided to the victim families, and justice be delivered by punishing the accused rather than setting up another SIT,” said Badal.
Asking the Congress-led UPA Government to apologise for “state-sponsored brutal killings of innocent Sikhs” in Parliament, SAD chief and Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal termed it as the most unfortunate and bigoted. Sukhbir, talking to the mediapersons during Sangat Darshans in Mansa district, said that if Punjab Congress leaders have any guts, they must resign on the moral ground in totality.
On the other hand, party’s youth wing - Youth Akali Dal (SAD), and the SAD-led Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) has planned to stage dharna. While the DSGMC, contrary to party’s stand, has demanded setting up of SIT to re-open 1984 riot cases all across the country, and announced to stage protest outside Congress headquarters in New Delhi on January 30 - Thursday, the YAD has planned to stage dharnas across Punjab at all district headquarters on January 31 - Friday - demanding Rahul Gandhi’s “public apology” for Congress role in 1984 anti-Sikh genocide.
YAD has also asked the Congress vice-president to “uncover the identity of all Congress leaders who were responsible for 1984 anti-Sikh genocide”.