BJP leaders protest the INDIA bloc rally in Delhi, accusing the Congress of insensitivity by holding events on the anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and demanding justice for the victims of the historical massacre.
BJP Launches Loktantra Bachao March in Capital
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday accused the Gandhi family and the Congress of repeatedly undermining democracy, citing the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, as she joined the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) ‘Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao’ (Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy) march in the national capital. The leaders participating in the march wore black bands on their heads in memory of the Sikhs killed during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
Targeting the Congress over the timing of the INDIA bloc’s rally at Ramlila Maidan, Gupta questioned whether the events of November 1984 did not amount to a murder of democracy. “The Sikh community in India is asking those who carry a copy of the Constitution in their pockets and invoke democracy today: what about what happened in November 1984? Was that not a murder of democracy, a murder committed by the Gandhi family itself? And it was not just once; the Gandhi family has murdered democracy time and again. Indira Gandhi did it in 1975, Rajiv Gandhi in 1984, and Rahul Gandhi is doing it today. They do this by challenging elected governments; they are the ones sowing anarchy in the country today,” Gupta said.
Allegations of Injustice and Political Insensitivity
She further alleged that thousands of Sikh families were still waiting for justice and questioned whether the Gandhi family had ever acknowledged their suffering. “Thousands of Sikh families are weeping tears of blood, still grieving the loss of their loved ones in that Congress-sponsored massacre… yet they have never received justice. Has the Gandhi family ever uttered even a few words about them? By choosing this particular day, they have once again committed a heinous crime, the same kind they committed in 1984,” she said.
BJP Demands Accountability from Congress
Gupta said Sikh community members participating in the BJP’s foot march were seeking answers from the Congress and its allies. “Thousands of Sikh brothers and sisters participating in today’s ‘padyatra’ (foot march) are demanding answers from the Congress and its allies: when will their concerns be addressed, and when will they receive justice? The people of this nation will surely hold these anarchic elements, who seek to spread chaos, accountable,” she added.
Union Minister of State and Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra also criticised the INDIA bloc’s rally scheduled for November 1, alleging that it was an attempt to disrupt normal life in Delhi. “This is not an event but an attempt to gather some goons and hold Delhi hostage. The Congress should be ashamed. On November 1, 2 and 3, 1984, Congress leaders and people associated with the party carried out the massacre of Sikhs across the country, including Delhi. The Congress is holding its rally on November 1 this year. It should be ashamed of rubbing salt into the wounds of the Sikh community. The Congress has not apologised to the country or the Sikh community for this incident to date. Traders in Delhi are also consistently opposing such anarchic protests,” he said.
The ruling BJP is mounting a counter-offensive to INDIA bloc’s “Chalo Delhi’ rally with a march in West Delhi to remember the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, accusing the Congress of holding a political rally on the anniversary of the violence. The rival protests come amid an ongoing political dispute over the SIR exercise and allegations of irregularities in electoral rolls.
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