The Sikh leaders from AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) and BJP jointly demanded to take back the Bharat Ratna Award which was given to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, on the argument that Gandhi had justified anti-Sikh riots of 1984.
The demand accompanied a video, which shows Rajiv Gandhi speaking about the riots, broken out following assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. In this video Rajiv Gandhi can be heard saying “logon ko laga ki Bharat hil raha hai, lekin jab koi bada ped girta hai to dharti thodi hilti hai (When a big tree falls, the earth shakes).” The protesting Sikh leaders also claim that this video has been deleted from the archives of Doordarshan.
AAP’s leader H.S Phoolka sharing stage with BJP leader R.P Singh said that Rajiv Gandhi along with justifying killing of Sikhs, rewarded mastermind who was a party worker.
In the report published on Indian Express, Phoolka said “The name of Jagdish Tytler appeared in reports of human rights group, H K L Bhagat was promoted to cabinet minister. Cases were not registered with the police. It took the government three years to come out with the actual number of people killed in the riots. Had it not been for (BJP leader) Madan Lal Khurana, the government would have stuck to the official figure of 650, whereas 2,736 Sikhs were killed in Delhi.” Adding to this he said “He flouted every law of this country. He was no ratan (jewel) and thus Bharat Ratna should be withdrawn.”
Phoolka also hinting a new allies said, the new group will have leaders from across parties and he would approach CPM leader Brinda Karat, JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan to become part of the new group.
Singh also released a ostensible Congress advertisement that was published ahead of the 1984 elections that followed the assassination of Indira Gandhi and the anti-Sikh riots. “The ad published in 1984 reads ‘why should you feel uncomfortable riding a taxi driven by a driver who belongs to other state’. At that time a majority of the car drivers were Sikhs. The Congress launched the campaign on communal lines and cornered the Sikhs,” he alleged.
