{"id":353809,"date":"2025-05-19T02:16:55","date_gmt":"2025-05-19T07:46:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/?p=353809"},"modified":"2025-05-19T02:16:55","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T07:46:55","slug":"rahul-gandhi-owns-up-84-legacy-in-his-bid-to-close-old-wounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rahul-gandhi-owns-up-84-legacy-in-his-bid-to-close-old-wounds\/","title":{"rendered":"Rahul Gandhi owns up \u201984 legacy in his bid to close old wounds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Marking an acknowledgement of the Congress\u2019s troubled legacy, Rahul Gandhi said he is willing to take responsibility for the party\u2019s historical wrongs, including the 1984 anti-Sikh riots\u2014a gesture that stirred emotions and provoked a sharp BJP backlash. A report by Bijoy Patro<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In a rare admission, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has declared himself \u201cready to take responsibility\u201d for the Congress party\u2019s historical wrongs, including the 1984 anti-Sikh riots \u2013 one of independent India\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s national conscience. Numerous Congress leaders were accused of inciting the violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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: \u201cAs 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gandhi, who has shown signs of altruism in his politics, continued, \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The student\u2019s question highlighted not only the anti-Sikh riots but also Operation Blue Star \u2013 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou haven\u2019t reconciled with the Sikhs,\u201d the student charged, citing the Congress party\u2019s 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\u2019s past stances that curtailed Sikh expressions of identity, while noting Gandhi\u2019s warnings about the BJP\u2019s treatment of minorities: \u201cYou tell us to fear what BJP\u2019s India would look like. But what about your party\u2019s record?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BJP, RSS respond strongly<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. \u201cThe statement I made was that do not we want an India where people are uncomfortable to express their religion? I don\u2019t think that anything scares the Sikhs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exchange, which has since gone viral on social media, marks one of Gandhi\u2019s clearest acknowledgements of his party\u2019s 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 \u2013 but others saw it as an inadequate response that skirted concrete accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The BJP and the RSS responded strongly. BJP\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RSS-affiliated Organiser<\/em> published a scathing article, stating: \u201cMore 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s second conviction in relation to the 1984 massacre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pluralistic society<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To an extent, it must be said, the Sikhs haven\u2019t held a grudge against history. The Congress has won elections in Punjab thrice since the anti-Sikh riots \u2013 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 1999, 2009 and 2019 general elections too, the Congress party reaped somewhat handsome dividends at the hustings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s role. For example, the Congress\u2019 influence in Sikh-populated constituencies of West Delhi remains minimal to this day, with many voters still distrustful of the party\u2019s record on justice and reconciliation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s remarks, while appreciated by some as a rare form of political accountability, have been described by others as a \u201cperformance\u201d lacking policy follow-through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his talk at Brown University, Gandhi attempted to broaden the conversation to include his vision of India as a pluralistic society. \u201cAll our mythological figures \u2013 Lord Ram was of that type where he was forgiving and compassionate. I don\u2019t consider what the BJP says to be the Hindu idea at all. It is much more pluralistic, embracing, affectionate, tolerant, and open,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These comments sparked another round of backlash from the BJP. \u201cRam-drohi Rahul Gandhi is back at it,\u201d said BJP\u2019s Pradeep Bhandari, accusing the Congress leader of disrespecting Hindu beliefs while attempting to portray himself as an advocate for minority rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it was his candid response on the 1984 riots that dominated headlines. Political analysts say the timing of Gandhi\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An open wound<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, the road ahead remains uncertain. Without visible actions \u2013 such as expulsions of implicated leaders, formal party apologies, or a broader truth-and-reconciliation effort \u2013 Gandhi might need to follow up on his statement so that his words may be remembered for reckoning, rather than mere rhetoric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ghosts of 1984 continue to cast a long shadow. Whether Gandhi\u2019s remarks lead to meaningful change, or simply fade into another election talking point, remains to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At another level, Gandhi\u2019s statement could also be a sign of him making the right moves to inject a principled position into his party\u2019s politics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Marking an acknowledgement of the Congress\u2019s troubled legacy, Rahul Gandhi said he is willing to take responsibility for the party\u2019s historical wrongs, including the 1984 anti-Sikh riots\u2014a 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 \u201cready to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":353810,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1801],"tags":[19306,15620],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353809"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=353809"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353809\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":353811,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353809\/revisions\/353811"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/353810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=353809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=353809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=353809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}