Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh on Monday said that the Congress was not connected with the 1984 riots and any involvement of a few party leaders could have been only at an individual level.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) raised the issue of Rahul Gandhi’s recent statement on the 1984 riots in the House during the ongoing Assembly session, to which Capt. Amarinder was replying.
Capt. Amarinder said he had personally visited camps in Delhi immediately after the riots and met people there. “People in the camps had named some individual Congress leaders, namely H.K.L. Bhagat, Sajjan Kumar, Arjan Das and Dharamdas Shastri, which I had subsequently revealed to the public,” said the Chief Minister.
“I have been naming these people for the past almost 34 years,” said Capt. Amarinder, adding that he had named the people who were mentioned to him, and not out of any personal knowledge.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Brahm Mohindra wanted the names of the people who were not present in the House during the discussion to be expunged. However, Aam Aadmi Party leader H.S. Phoolka objected. The Chief Minister said there was no need to expunge the names as these members had been in public debate for the past 34 years. The Speaker allowed the names to be put on record.
SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal talking to reporters said that Capt. Amarinder should offer himself as a witness in the anti-Sikh riot cases.
Mr. Phoolka said that when the Congress gave plum positions to those who have been named by the Chief Minister, it clearly shows that the Congress was involved in the riots.