BJP, SAD condemn Amarinder Singh’s clean chit to Cong leader in 1984 riots
Nearly three decades after the anti-Sikh riots in Delhi and other parts of the country, a comment by former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Jagdish Tytler’s role has snowballed into a major controversy and has flared up the tempers once again.
BJP’s Amritsar lS seat candidate Arun Jaitley questioned the “clean chit” to Congress leader Jagdish Tytler in the riots by Amarinder Singh. In response, the Congress leader has come out with a “clarification” blaming the ruling combine for distorting his statement.
Attacking Singh for his reported defence of Tytler, Jaitley questioned whether the former Chief Minister was “trying to prejudge the guilt of a person who is perceived to be involved in the riotsIJ...Is his personal and political relationship more important than the interest of the victimsIJ”
Jaitley’s remarks came in reaction to Capt Amarinder’s statement that when he had visited the riot-hit places in Delhi at that time, people did not name Tytler.
Amarinder, in his television interview a day before, had stated, “I’m not the CBI, I’m not the court. I’m telling you what I saw and felt....I was in Delhi, I went to all the camps...and everyone I met took all these names that I have told you, except Jagdish Tytler. When did Jagdish Tytler’s name come upIJ It came up when he was fighting Madan lal Khurana in Delhi, that was months later.”
His statement attracted massive criticism with Akali MP from Bathinda Harsimrat Badal assailing him for defending Tytler, the main accused in the riots.
Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday clarified that he had not given a clean chit to Tytler.
“I had heard the names of other Congress leaders, including HKl Bhagat, lalit Maken and Sajjan Kumar, but not Tytler’s from the riot victims living in relief camps,” he said.
The former Punjab CM, however, added that anti-Sikh riots of 1984 were the most tragic and gruesome and those responsible should be given exemplary punishment.
“I, along with my brother and a cousin, besides a friend, was the first person to reach out to the riot victims and I toured all areas...and went to all Gurdwaras in Delhi where they had taken shelter between November 1 and 4, 1984 and nowhere was Tytler’s name mentioned,” Singh said.
Training his gun at the Congress, Jaitley alleged that those guilty for the “state sponsored” violence still remain unpunished.
Describing the “massacre” of innocent Sikhs after the Indira Gandhi’s assassination as a “black spot” in democracy, the BJP leader, wrote in his blog, “The fact that the innocents can be killed in thousands is terrible. What is worse is that the guilty went unpunished.” He later said that the defence of the guilty by Singh is “another blot” on the country.
He alleged that the “collusion” of the state was visible. None of the rioters were fired upon by the police, he added.
“They were given a safe passage to loot and kill. For years, the FIRs were not registered. No arrests were made. The violence was politically rationalised by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi,” he said.
The BJP leader alleged that Justice Ranganath Mishra’s Commission, appointed by the Congress Government, provided a cover-up for the “state sponsored” violence.
“After his retirement, the judge was rewarded with the Rajya Sabha nomination by the Congress,” he said.
He claimed that it was only the NDA Government who appointed Justice Nanavati Commission of Inquiry which came out with the truth.
“Since then investigating agencies have tried to prosecute many of those involved in the riots,” Jaitley added. Meanwhile, in Delhi, BJP spokesperson Meenakshi lekhi lashed out at Singh for “giving a clean-chit to some of the miscreants”.
“Mr Amrinder Singh tried to pre-judge the issue pending in the court due to personal relationship,” she said.
Asked about Singh’s accusations that BJP’s lok Sabha candidate from Amritsar Arun Jaitley had represented Dow Chemicals, lekhi said that the senior BJP leader had appeared for Dow Financial company which, among others, is owned by noted publication Wall Street Journal.
Further clarifying the issue, the BJP spokesperson said, in fact it was Congress leader Manu Singhvi, also a Supreme Court lawyer, who had appeared for Dow Chemical, responsible for Bhopal gas tragedy. lekhi took a jibe at Singhvi by repeatedly calling the latter a “CD man”, alluding to a CD that purportedly figured him.