Phoolka slams Rana Gurjit, blames Cong for orchestrating 1984 riots
LUDHIANA: Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Dakha MLA HS Phoolka on Saturday blamed the Congress for orchestrating the 1984 riots.
Reacting to Punjab cabinet minister Rana Gurjit Singh’s statement that the Congress had no hand in the anti-Sikh riots, Phoolka said not only Congress leaders Kamal Nath, Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar, but the entire Congress government led by then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was involved in attacks on Sikhs following the assassination of former PM Ind ira Gandhi.
Challenging Rana Gurjit for a debate, Phoolka, who is Sikh rio ts victims’ lawyer in the Supreme Court, reminded him of Rajiv Gandhi’ s statement that“when a big tree falls, the earth shakes”. “How the mob got inflammable powder and experts to deal with the same before the rio ts started? Also, the government provided the list of Sikhs and location of their residences to the attackers, which is also mentioned in the book written by former PM Manmohan Singh’s daughter, who used to live in Ashok Vihar, Delhi, when the riots broke out. Congress leaders who instigated the mob, including Tytler, got plump posts in the government ,” he alleged, while addressing a press conference here.
“Wherever Sikhs gathered, police reached in large number to disarm them. All Sikh police offi- cials and Sikh Light Infantry personnel were disarmed.
The AAP leader also hailed the Supreme Court decision to form a new special investigation tem to probe the 1984 riots cases.
RANA BETRAYED SIKHS: AKALIDAL
In Chandigarh, the Shiromani Akali Dal accused Rana Gurjit Singh of “betraying the Sikh community by giving a clean chit to the Gandhi family” in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
Party spokesperson Maheshinder Singh Grew al said :“Victim families have recorded their testimonies and named Congress leaders. By denying all this, Ran a Gurjit is doing a grave disservice to the Sikh community. The Congress high command has indicated that it is going to remove Rana from the state cabinet over multi-crore sand mining scam. He may be able to save his chair by indulging in giving such statements ,” he said.