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'Wonder if he's under pressure': Cong ‘upset’ over Chidambaram's remarks on Blue Star, Indira Gandhi
Top leadership in Congress is “very upset” and agitated why this is happening repeatedly, after Chidambaram's remarks on Operation Blue Star
Leaders of the Congress have expressed discontent about former home minister P Chidambaram’s remarks on the 1984 Operation Blue Star that the military action was wrong and PM Indira Gandhi “paid the price with her life for the mistake".
“Senior leaders, who have got everything from the Congress party, should be more careful in making statements that create embarrassment for the party, and this cannot become a habit," news agency ANI quoted party sources as saying.
Congress leader Rashid Alvi spoke on the record on the issue, questioning whether Chidambaram is being coerced into making statements against the party, mentioning that the criminal cases against him are still pending.
What Chidambaram said in Kasauli
Speaking at the Khushwant Singh Literary Festival in Himachal Pradesh’s Kasauli, Chidambaram said, "There was a way to retrieve and capture all the militants, but Operation Blue Star was the wrong way".
Chidambaram, who was in conversation with journalist and author Harinder Baweja on her book 'They Will Shoot You Madam: My Life Through Conflict', said that Indira Gandhi paid with her life for the mistake. “But the mistake was a cumulative decision of the Army, Intelligence, Police and Civil Defence, and you cannot completely blame it on Mrs Gandhi”, he added.
Also read: 'Op Blue Star was wrong way, Indira Gandhi paid with life for it': P Chidambaram
‘Doing what BJP, Modi would do’
Terming Chidambaram’s remarks as “unfortunate”, Alvi questioned why the senior leader was criticising the Operation after 50 years. Speaking to ANI, Alvi said, “He's (Chidambaram) doing the same thing the BJP and the Prime Minister would do.”
He said that the senior leader’s repeated attacks on the Congress party are raising many doubts, in the context of earlier comments made by Chidambaram.
“Criminal cases against him are still pending. I wonder if he's under any pressure to continue attacking the Congress party," Alvi added.
He questioned why Chidambaram is making these remarks “instead of highlighting the BJP's shortcomings over the past 11 years,” he said, calling the remarks unfair.
Also read: Sikh man asks Rahul Gandhi about Operation Blue Star. His reply
BJP hits out at Congress
BJP also hit out at Congress and said that history must record the truth that it was not a national necessity but a “political misadventure” by Indira Gandhi. Will the Congress now act against Chidambaram "for speaking the truth and exposing their false narrative?" the ruling party asked.
Meanwhile, Union minister Kiren Rijiju took to X and said, “Chidambaram Ji admits the Congress blunders too late!" Latching onto Chidambaram’s comments, BJP national spokesperson R P Singh slammed the Congress and said, “History must record the truth.” Singh alleged that the then prime minister, Indira Gandhi, chose the path of confrontation for “political reasons and electoral gain”.
Operation Blue Star was a 10-day military operation spanning from June 1 to June 10, 1984.
Under this operation, the Indian Army stormed into the Golden Temple on orders of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to contain Sikh militancy under the leadership of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in Punjab. It was reported that Bhindranwale had stashed large quantities of arms on the Golden Temple premises. He, along with his armed followers, was killed during the operation.
It was heavily criticised, and months after Operation Blue Star, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards at her New Delhi residence on October 31, 1984, which was followed by anti-Sikh riots in the national capital.
