The BJP and its ally, the Shiromani Akali Dal, on Monday stepped up their attack on Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for remarks that his party was not involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, alleging the opposition party’s entire apparatus was involved in the genocide and they could not be absolved of their sins.
The BJP and Akali Dal also attacked Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh for defending Rahul and his stand and claimed he had hurt the sentiments of people in his state and of Sikhs across the country. “This was not expected from Amarinder Singh. Being a Sikh, he should not have stood with the conspirators of the 1984 genocide on this issue. The Punjab chief minister has hurt the sentiments of the people from his state,” senior SAD leader Prem Singh Chandumajra claimed. He alleged it was a fact that the Congress was involved in the riots and they “cannot be absolved of their sins”. Echoing similar sentiments, BJP’s national secretary R.P. Singh alleged,”Not one or two hands, the entire Congress apparatus was involved in 1984 genocide against Sikhs in the national capital.”
He claimed then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, the father of Rahul, tried to justify the violence by saying that when a giant tree falls, the earth below shakes, referring to the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1984, which triggered the riots. The Congress was forced to cancel the appointment of veteran party leader Kamal Nath as Punjab Assembly polls in-charge following anger from sections of the Sikh community that pointed to his alleged involvement in the violence, he claimed. Last week, Rahul, who was on a two-day visit to the UK, told an audience that the anti-Sikh riots were a tragedy and a painful experience, but disagreed with the view that the Congress was “involved” in it. Rahul’s comments provoked a flurry of protests by the BJP and Akali Dal, who accused the Congress leader of being in denial.
