With the 35th anniversary of Operation Blue Star nearing, the emotive issue has once again taken centrestage amid remarks from leaders of political parties.
It was on June 6, 1984 when the Army had stormed the Harmandir Sahib (Golden temple) in Amritsar, Sikhism’s holiest shrine, to flush out extremists led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
On Tuesday, Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri termed Operation Blue Star as a “mistake” and opined that mistakes of the past are not repeated. “What is eternal can neither be challenged nor destroyed. We need to seriously introspect and ensure that such mistakes of the past are never repeated,” Mr. Puri said in a tweet.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) targeted the Congress party and the “Gandhi family” after Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare the auspicious 550th Parkash Purb of Guru Nanak Dev as National Tolerance Day.
SAD general secretary Bikram Singh Majithia said “Harmandir Sahib is the epitome of tolerance and compassion and the Congress party as well as the Gandhi family worked to destroy this symbol of tolerance.”
“Capt. Amarinder Singh should first ask Congress president Rahul Gandhi to atone for Operation Blue Star and then only talk about marking the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev on November 12 as National Tolerance Day,” added Mr. Majithia.
Meanwhile, the Sikh radical outfit Dal Khalsa has given a call for Amritsar bandh on June 6.
Dal Khalsa has launched a campaign to garner support for the bandh. “The youth groups associated with us have been distributing posters and leaflets across the city, urging traders and educational bodies to keep their establishments closed,” said Kanwar Pal Singh, a spokesperson of the Dal Khalsa.