Prime Minister Narendra Modi invoked the 1984 anti-Sikh riots against the backdrop of Congress leader Sam Pitroda’s 'hua to hua' (whatever happened has happened) remark. “The three words from the Congress leader over the 1984 anti-Sikh riots reflects the character, mindset and arrogance of the party,” Modi said. He was addressing the BJP’s ‘Vijay Sankalp’ rally in Rohtak, where he described the Congress as a party insensitive to the Sikhs. Modi said: “This leader (Sam Pitroda) is close to the Gandhi family... he is their confidant... he is the ‘Guru’ of the naamdaar president of the party. Several Sikh families were killed during the 1984 riots. In Delhi alone, over 2,800 Sikhs were killed - but for Congress leaders it’s only 'hua to hua.' The loss of human life doesn’t bother them.”
He said people would teach a lesson to the Congress, which due to its actions and “insensitive approach” had already been reduced to 44 seats in the Lok Sabha. “The Congress ruled the nation for 70 years, and the tenure was filled with arrogance. Poor became poorer, corruption went on increasing, black money ruined the economy of the nation and the Congress remained a mute spectator,” he claimed. Modi said that when the Samjhauta Express blast took place near Panipat, the Congress targeted and harassed innocent people in the name of ‘Hindu terrorism’, but later its conspiracy was exposed.
At a rally in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, he alleged that the Congress was not only shielding but also patronising those involved in the anti-Sikh riots. “We set up an SIT to investigate the 1984 riots cases and the result is that today the guilty are behind bars in one case,” he said.
Action will be taken against guilty: Rahul
Congress president Rahul Gandhi not only slammed Pitroda’s remark but also asserted that action should, and will, be taken against the guilty of November 1984 (massacre of Sikhs). Rahul made these remarks before embarking on an election campaign in Punjab. “I have come to Punjab. A few days back Sam Pitroda spoke about 1984. I called him up and said, ‘Pitrodaji, you said something very wrong and you should apologise.’ What happened in 1984 was absolutely wrong and the pain in peoples’ mind should be respected. Whosoever did the wrong in 1984, action should be and will be taken against them,” he said just before he concluded his speech in Hoshiarpur. Again, in Khanna, Rahul repeated: “Sam Pitroda ne jo 1984 ke bare bola hai bilkul galat bola hai. Desh se maafi mangni chahiye, yehi maine unko phone karke bola aur kaha apko sharm aani chahiye, aur public apology doh. (The remarks made by Sam Pitroda regarding 1984 are absolutely incorrect, he should seek an apology from the nation. That is what I have told him on the phone and also said ‘you should be ashamed of yourself and apologize publicly’.”
