Congress president Rahul Gandhi is learnt to have spoken with Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda on Saturday, and expressed his disagreement with the latter’s comments on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh was not only quick to criticise Mr. Pitroda but even named Congress members like Sajjan Kumar as being among those responsible for the riots.
Ahead of the May 19 polling in Punjab, the Congress leadership is not only aiming at damage control but is also looking to end the debate around the riots. Party sources said the leaders had been advised not to engage in any debate on the issue as that could give an advantage to the BJP or its ally, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
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“If our party leaders engage in a debate on the 1984 riots, then it will help the Akalis and the BJP polarise the elections between Sikh and non-Sikh voters. We don’t want to get caught in a trap,” a source said.
On firm footing
Punjab with 13 Lok Sabha seats is one of the few north Indian States where the Congress seems to have an edge over the BJP and the SAD.
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The party had just launched Team Punjab and Mission 13 with the Chief Minister as the head. “We should focus on our State government’s successes instead of being engaged in divisive issues,” said the source.
On Thursday, Mr. Pitroda had reacted to the BJP’s allegation that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had been directly involved in the anti-Sikh riots following Indira Gandhi’s assassination.
“Ab kya hai ’84 ka? Aapne kya kiya 5 saal mein, uski baat kariye. ’84 mein hua to hua. Aapne kya kiya ? [What about 1984 now? Talk about what you have done in the last five years. What happened in 1984 happened. What have you done?],” Mr. Pitroda was reported to have said.
The Congress president quickly criticised Mr. Pitroda on his Facebook post, and asked for an apology from him. “What Mr. Sam Pitroda has said is absolutely and completely out of line and is not appreciated,” he wrote on Friday.
“I think 1984 was a needless tragedy that caused tremendous pain. I think justice has to be done. The people who were responsible for the 1984 tragedy have to be punished. Former PM Manmohan Singh Ji has apologised. My mother, Sonia Gandhi Ji has apologised,” he said.