Union Min Hardeep Puri hits out at Congress, recalls personal loss during 1984 violence

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday hit out at the Congress over the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, urging the party to introspect on its role in the violence. Asserting that the minorities are flourishing under the BJP government, Puri said the ruling party does not engage in appeasement politics, like the Congress, which, he alleged, remembers them only to exploit them for political gain.

In a post on X, Puri said that one must value the era of inclusive development and peace. He asserted that India keeps its minorities safe and ensures development for all without discrimination.

Advertisement

“Today is the time to remember that violence with anger and rage even as we pay homage to the victims and empathise with the anguish and pain of the families they left behind. It is time to value the era of inclusive development and peace that we live in under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi. Today, India not only keeps its minorities safe but also ensures Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas without prejudice or discrimination,” the Union Minister said.

Recalling the traumatic memories of the 1984 anti-Sikh violence, Puri said the unrest had reached dangerously close to his family home in Hauz Khas, Delhi. Sharing his personal account on X, Puri wrote that while he was serving as a young First Secretary in Geneva at the time, he was deeply anxious for his parents’ safety. He said his parents, who were then living in a DDA flat in Hauz Khas, were rescued by a Hindu friend and taken to his grandparents’ home in Khan Market, even as violence swept through Delhi and other cities.

Puri launched a sharp attack on the Congress, alleging that some of its leaders had incited mobs outside gurdwaras during the 1984 riots to target the Sikh community. He further said that institutions responsible for upholding the law failed in their duty and turned a blind eye, allowing the violence to persist.

“Congress leaders were seen leading mobs outside Gurdwaras, as even police stood watching. The very institutions meant to uphold law and order surrendered their conscience and allowed a free hand to these leaders,” Puri posted on X.

“At a Congress MLA’s house, leaders met and decided that Sikhs ‘must be taught a lesson’. Inflammable powder and chemicals were procured from factories and handed to mobs. Years later, all this was corroborated by the Nanavati Commission (2005) which very clearly said how ‘There is credible evidence against Congress(I) leaders who led mobs and provoked attacks’,” Puri said.

“Even their own report confirmed what survivors always knew. Congress did not fail to stop the massacre. It enabled it. Later, Congress shamelessly went to deny the Anti-Sikh violence for decades. They protected the perpetrators and gave them plum postings (even party tickets to contest elections) as rewards,” the Minister added.