After Rahul’s ‘Emergency mistake’ remark, Malik seeks BJP’s apology for Gujarat riots

A day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi termed the Emergency imposed by former prime minister Indira Gandhi a "mistake", Minister of Minority Affair and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief spokesman Nawab Malik on Wednesday demanded that the BJP should also admit that Gujarat riots was a mistake and tender an apology.

"Rahul Gandhi admitted after 45 years that emergency was a mistake. Now BJP should admit that Gujarat riots was a mistake and tender an apology, like Congress did for Delhi riots," said Malik.

Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that the Emergency imposed in the country during the tenure of his grandmother, the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was wrong.

In a conversation with Kaushik Basu, professor in the Cornell University in the US and India's former chief economic advisor, Gandhi said he is all for internal democracy in the Congress, which fought for India's independence, gave the country its Constitution and stood for equality.

Asked about his views on the Emergency, he said, "I think that was a mistake. Absolutely, that was a mistake. And my grandmother (Indira Gandhi) said as much."

However, state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil criticised Congress for admitting after 45 years that the emergency was a mistake. ‘’Families of lakhs of people were devastated after they were jailed while some died in prisons. Now Congress is admitting that it was a mistake which has no meaning,’’ said Patil.

‘’Not a single report indicted Modi so where is the question of BJP tendering an apology?’’

— Chandrakant Patil, BJP leader

Patil said that Gujarat riots were a reaction and as a Chief Minister Narendra Modi tried to save everyone. ‘’Not a single inquiry report has indicted Modi so where is the question of BJP tendering an apology?’’ he asked.