Marking an acknowledgement of the Congress’s troubled legacy, Rahul Gandhi said he is willing to take responsibility for the party’s historical wrongs, including the 1984 anti-Sikh riots—a gesture that stirred emotions and provoked a sharp BJP backlash. A report by Bijoy Patro
In a rare admission, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has declared himself “ready to take responsibility” for the Congress party’s historical wrongs, including the 1984 anti-Sikh riots – one of independent India’s dark chapters. The remark, made during a public interaction at Brown University in the United States on April 21, has reignited political debate and drawn sharp responses from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and Sikh groups in India and abroad.
The 1984 anti-Sikh riots were triggered by the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi, by her Sikh bodyguards. What followed was a wave of mob violence in Delhi and other cities, which led to the deaths of nearly 3,000 Sikhs and left a deep scar on India’s national conscience. Numerous Congress leaders were accused of inciting the violence.
Speaking at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, Gandhi was confronted by a Sikh student who asked him what the Congress party was doing to reconcile with the Sikh community. Gandhi replied: “As far as mistakes of the Congress party are concerned, a lot of those mistakes happened when I was not there, but I am more than happy to take responsibility for everything that the Congress party has ever done wrong in its history.”
Gandhi, who has shown signs of altruism in his politics, continued, “I have publicly stated that what happened in the 1980s was wrong. I have been to the Golden Temple multiple times, I have an extremely good and loving relationship with the Sikh community.”
The student’s question highlighted not only the anti-Sikh riots but also Operation Blue Star – the 1984 military action at the Golden Temple in Amritsar to flush out separatists led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. The Army assault left the Akal Takht heavily damaged and killed hundreds, sparking outrage across the Sikh community and setting the stage for the events that followed.
“You haven’t reconciled with the Sikhs,” the student charged, citing the Congress party’s branding of the Anandpur Sahib Resolution as separatist, and the lack of accountability for leaders like Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler. The student also pointed out the Congress party’s past stances that curtailed Sikh expressions of identity, while noting Gandhi’s warnings about the BJP’s treatment of minorities: “You tell us to fear what BJP’s India would look like. But what about your party’s record?”
BJP, RSS respond strongly
Rahul Gandhi, who is currently the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, stressed that his conception of India was one where religious expression was never stifled. “The statement I made was that do not we want an India where people are uncomfortable to express their religion? I don’t think that anything scares the Sikhs,” he said.
The exchange, which has since gone viral on social media, marks one of Gandhi’s clearest acknowledgements of his party’s troubled legacy. His comment that he would take responsibility even for events that preceded his political career was interpreted by many as a gesture of humility – but others saw it as an inadequate response that skirted concrete accountability.
The BJP and the RSS responded strongly. BJP’s national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari lashed out, calling on Gandhi to expel from the party all Congress leaders accused of being involved in the 1984 violence, including Sajjan Kumar, Kamal Nath, and Jagdish Tytler.
RSS-affiliated Organiser published a scathing article, stating: “More than 3,000 Sikhs were brutally killed during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi. Mobs led by Congress leaders like Sajjan Kumar, Jagdish Tytler, and many others burned homes, looted shops, attacked Gurudwaras, and killed innocent Sikh men, women, and children.”
Referring to a recent court judgment, the RSS mouthpiece also reminded readers that a Delhi court in February 2025 awarded a life sentence to Sajjan Kumar in a case related to the killing of a father-son duo in Saraswati Vihar during the anti-Sikh violence. It was Kumar’s second conviction in relation to the 1984 massacre.
Pluralistic society
The Congress party has attempted to distance itself from some of the individuals linked to the 1984 riots. But critics argue the measures have been slow and symbolic rather than substantive.
To an extent, it must be said, the Sikhs haven’t held a grudge against history. The Congress has won elections in Punjab thrice since the anti-Sikh riots – in 1992, 2002, and 2017. The wins in Punjab must also be seen in the context of the volatile politics of the state and the sway of Akali parties.
In the 1999, 2009 and 2019 general elections too, the Congress party reaped somewhat handsome dividends at the hustings.
But, in the same breath, it must be said that during election times, the riots of 84 have reminded Sikh voters of the Congress party’s role. For example, the Congress’ influence in Sikh-populated constituencies of West Delhi remains minimal to this day, with many voters still distrustful of the party’s record on justice and reconciliation.
The Sikh diaspora has also responded with scepticism. Groups in Canada, the UK, and the US have long campaigned for justice for the 1984 victims, including lobbying for international sanctions against individuals accused in the riots. Gandhi’s remarks, while appreciated by some as a rare form of political accountability, have been described by others as a “performance” lacking policy follow-through.
During his talk at Brown University, Gandhi attempted to broaden the conversation to include his vision of India as a pluralistic society. “All our mythological figures – Lord Ram was of that type where he was forgiving and compassionate. I don’t consider what the BJP says to be the Hindu idea at all. It is much more pluralistic, embracing, affectionate, tolerant, and open,” he said.
These comments sparked another round of backlash from the BJP. “Ram-drohi Rahul Gandhi is back at it,” said BJP’s Pradeep Bhandari, accusing the Congress leader of disrespecting Hindu beliefs while attempting to portray himself as an advocate for minority rights.
But it was his candid response on the 1984 riots that dominated headlines. Political analysts say the timing of Gandhi’s remarks is significant. With the dynamism of electoral politics, and the Congress party trying to rebuild its support base among minorities, Dalits, and backward communities, such gestures could be seen as part of a broader reconciliation strategy.
An open wound
Still, the road ahead remains uncertain. Without visible actions – such as expulsions of implicated leaders, formal party apologies, or a broader truth-and-reconciliation effort – Gandhi might need to follow up on his statement so that his words may be remembered for reckoning, rather than mere rhetoric.
For many Sikhs, the 1984 riots remain an open wound. Justice has been elusive, and the perception that the Congress party has shielded perpetrators continues to cloud its credibility. Gandhi’s willingness to accept moral responsibility, though politically risky, could be a first step. But for reconciliation to be meaningful, responsibility must also translate into reform and reparative justice.
The ghosts of 1984 continue to cast a long shadow. Whether Gandhi’s remarks lead to meaningful change, or simply fade into another election talking point, remains to be seen.
At another level, Gandhi’s statement could also be a sign of him making the right moves to inject a principled position into his party’s politics.
