Chandigarh, Nov 1: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for organising the INDIA bloc rally in Delhi on the anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, accusing him of hurting the sentiments of the Sikh community and disrespecting the victims.
Addressing an event in Chandigarh, Shah said the rally was ill-timed as November 1 marked one of the darkest chapters in the country’s history, when thousands of Sikhs were killed in violence following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Referring to a controversial remark made by former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi after the riots, Shah said he had remarked that “when a big tree falls, the earth shakes”, and alleged that his son Rahul Gandhi had added insult to the injuries of the victims by organising a rally on the same day.
“Rahul Baba, by organising a rally on the day of the Sikh massacre, you have exposed that your ‘Mohabbat Ki Dukaan’ is, in reality, a shop of hatred,” Shah said.
He claimed that the BJP had appealed to political parties not to organise rallies on November 1, 2 and 3, considering these dates were associated with mourning for the victims of the anti-Sikh riots.
Shah alleged that Rahul Gandhi had ignored requests from Delhi traders to postpone the rally until after Diwali, saying the event could adversely affect their businesses.
He also accused the Congress leader of disregarding the concerns of small traders and claimed that the party had failed to win any seats in Delhi in the last three elections.
“Remember my words: It will fail to open its account in the next three elections as well,” Shah said.
The Home Minister further accused Rahul Gandhi of spreading misinformation, creating unrest and disrupting parliamentary proceedings.
He alleged that the Congress was obstructing Parliament’s functioning to prevent the implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women, asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was committed to ensuring women’s representation in legislatures.
Referring to the 1984 riots, Shah said the country had never witnessed a politically sponsored massacre of such magnitude and would not experience one again.
He said the Modi government had reopened cases related to the riots, provided financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to victims and ensured that prominent Congress leaders accused in connection with the violence were sent to jail.
Shah said the country, particularly Punjab, would not forget the events of 1984 and accused the Congress leadership of failing to show sensitivity towards the families affected by the violence.
