‘1984 violence planned’: BJP marches against Congress in Delhi, says party should apologise

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday carried out a protest march against the Congress in west Delhi’s Hari Nagar, targeting the party over the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, as the INDIA bloc held a rally at Ramlila Maidan in central Delhi against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The BJP protest was led by Union petroleum minister Hardeep Puri, who said the violence unleashed in Delhi on November 1, 1984, was not spontaneous anger but a “well-planned massacre”. BJP leaders said the Congress should apologise to the Sikh community for choosing such a sensitive date for its political rally.

“There has been a concerted effort to argue that the violence was spontaneous and caused by anger among people. This is not right... The violence started on November 1 but continued for four days. It was a well-planned conspiracy... The Congress should introspect. If they had to select a day for this [protest], should it have been November 1?” Puri said, describing the 1984 violence as “genocide”.

‘Deliberately chosen this day for protest’

The protest march began at Hari Nagar depot and continued for a kilometre up to Tilak Nagar metro station. Thousands of BJP workers, carrying tricolours and BJP flags, marched through the Sikh-dominated areas with placards blaming the Congress for the 1984 violence. The march also saw the participation of Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta, cabinet ministers Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Ashish Sood, Delhi BJP chief Harsh Malhotra, and other senior leaders. They raised slogans against the Congress and the Gandhi family, demanding an apology for the killings of Sikhs in 1984.

CM Gupta, wearing a black headband at the protest, recalled how a Sikh neighbour had taken shelter at her parents’ home during the violence. “The violence forced lakhs of Sikhs to cut their hair to protect their identities and save themselves... They [Congress] have selected this day for their political aspirations. They are still entangled in the same greed. Rahul Gandhi is also promoting lawlessness to gain power.”

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Gupta said Congress leaders talk about the Constitution, but the 1984 violence was the murder of the Constitution and democracy.

Delhi BJP chief Malhotra said: “Congress leaders like Sajjan Kumar were directly responsible for the genocide against Sikhs. They even targeted and identified certain houses... The Congress has deliberately chosen this day for its protest. We have reached here in large numbers to pay homage to the martyrs of this genocide.”