New Delhi: Several victims of 1984 Sikh riots have come together to shoot a letter to the Congress President Rahul Gandhi for saying that his father is a martyr in response to Narendra Modi’s ‘corrupt No.1’ jibe against Rajiv Gandhi.
The victims say that Rajiv Gandhi cannot be forgiven for the genocide of thousands of Sikhs after the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984. The letter says that not only was Rajiv Gandhi responsible for the pogrom but his party also honoured all those behind it.
Leaders like Jagdish Tytler, Sajjan Kumar and present Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath were harbored and promoted within the Congress party.
The Sikh victims also said that by calling Rajiv Gandhi a martyr the Congress party was infact insulting the real martyrs of the country.
Narendra Modi had said that Rahul Gandhi’s father Rajiv Gandhi entered politics as Mr. Clean but died as ‘corrupt number one’ because of his involvement in Bofors scam.
Though, the opposition came out against the Prime Minister for his remarks, the BJP countered them by pointing the everyday jibe of ‘Chowkidar chor hai’ statement made against the Prime Minister by Rahul Gandhi.
The 1984 anti-Sikh riots was one of the worst massacre against a community that India witnessed after Independence. Independent sources say that around 8000 to 17,000 Sikhs perished in the massacre across India.
The riots began on 1 November, 1984 and continued for 3 days in which thousands of Sikhs lost their lives and thousands more injured and displaced. The rioters burned, hacked and even poured acid on innocent Sikhs and many women were gang raped and murdered.
Many times over, it is established that the Congress party was complicit in all the mindless violence of its party workers.
Even after 35 years the Sikh victims who went through the ordeal are not ready to forgive Rahul Gandhi’s father. Adding salt to the wound, Rajiv Gandhi also made an insensitive remark against the Sikhs.
Rajiv Gandhi’s statement that it is only natural that the ground shakes when a mighty tree falls will never be forgotten by the Sikhs who lost their loved ones to the madness of the Congress rioters.