New Delhi, Nov 1 : Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Sunday led a Delhi BJP march in Hari Nagar, targeting the Congress over its decision to hold a rally at Ramlila Maidan on November 1, the anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
The march was joined by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra, among other party leaders and workers.
The BJP leaders accused the Congress of hurting the sentiments of the Sikh community by organising a political rally on a day when people remember the massacre of thousands of Sikhs following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984.
In a post on X, Gupta attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and accused the party of creating an atmosphere of unrest in the name of democracy.
“The country has not forgotten November 1. On this very day in 1984, the horrific chapter of the Sikh massacre was being written on the streets of Delhi,” she said.
The chief minister alleged that the Congress was attempting to defame the people’s mandate and create unrest on the streets to compensate for its political failures.
She also accused the party of putting the livelihoods of Delhi’s traders at risk through its political activities.
“Congress cannot erase the stain of 1984 by invoking the name of democracy,” Gupta said, demanding an apology from the party to the Sikh community.
Malhotra also criticised the Congress for holding its ‘Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod’ rally on the anniversary of the 1984 riots.
He claimed that the campaign launched by the Congress, along with several opposition parties, had failed to generate public support.
Malhotra further alleged that even workers of opposition parties had rejected their leaders’ position on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls by staying away from the ‘Chalo Ramlila Maidan’ campaign.
He said the Congress should apologise to the Sikh community as well as Delhi’s business community.
Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor claimed that the Congress had failed to mobilise a substantial crowd despite its repeated announcements of a massive gathering at Ramlila Maidan.
He said the party had been creating apprehension among traders and residents over the past 15 days by claiming that lakhs of people would attend Sunday’s rally.
Kapoor claimed that the gathering was far smaller than the Congress had projected and said the turnout reflected the party’s inability to revive Rahul Gandhi’s political fortunes.
The BJP leaders maintained that the Congress should focus on addressing the concerns of the Sikh community instead of holding political programmes on a day associated with one of the darkest chapters in the country’s history.
