Akali Dal attacks Rahul Gandhi over 1984 riots remarks

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today attacked Rahul Gandhi for his comments that the Congress government had tried to stop the 1984 riots in Delhi, alleging that the party had shielded individuals who were involved in the "carnage" against the Sikhs.

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"Rahul Gandhi says that Narendra Modi was responsible for the 2002 riots in Gujarat because he was the Chief Minister. Then what about his father who was the Prime Minister when the carnage against Sikhs took place in Delhi," SAD leader Naresh Gujral said here.

Gujral said that during the 1984 riots in Delhi, prominent people including his father (former Prime Minister I K Gujral), retd General J S Aurora, former Air Chief Marshal Arjan Singh repeatedly went to the President and the Home Minister of the day but both of them expressed helplessness. He said police in Delhi did not fire even a single bullet at the rioters and there was delay in calling the army in during the 1984 riots.

Drawing a contrast with Gujarat riots of 2002, Gujral said several people from the majority as well as the minority community were killed in police firing. "Several hundred people including a former Gujarat minister have been jailed for the 2002 riots but those accused of gruesome crimes in 1984 have been protected and even made MPs," Gujral said.

Gujral was reacting Gandhi's remarks that the Modi government was responsible for "abetting and pushing" the 2002 Gujarat riots while the Congress government tried to stop the 1984 riots. Accusing Gandhi of hypocrisy, Gujral said the Congress Vice President spoke of being opposed to concentration of power in a single individual, but was fine with concentration of power in a single family. He also attacked Gandhi over his stance over corruption and questioned why Congress has no problem with tie-ups with tainted leaders.