Rahul's apology for 1984 riots ‘hypocritical and meaningless', says Sukhbir
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday termed leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi's apology over the 1984 Sikh riots as 'hypocritical and meaningless words.'
Responding to a question on the 1984 riots and the Congress' relationship with the Sikh community, Rahul, during an event in the US, had said a lot of the 'mistakes' the party committed happened when he was not there but added that he was 'more than happy' to take responsibility for everything wrong it did in its history.
The remarks by Gandhi were made on April 21 during an interactive session at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University in the US. The video of the interaction was uploaded on the YouTube channel of the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs on Saturday.
Reacting sharply to Rahul's response, Sukhbir said that the reported words of the Congress leader flew in the face of his insensitive conduct towards the Sikh sentiments.
'Rahul must first answer the fundamental questions. Why does the Congress still continue not only to shield but also to reward killers of thousands of innocent Sikhs with plum posts in the party? Is he really not aware of who is responsible for the genocide against our community in 1984? Sukhbir said.
Referring to Rahul's claim that he was a minor when his party and his ancestors perpetrated these crimes against the Sikhs, the SAD president said, 'True, he was a minor then. But he is 55 now. Why has it taken him all these 35 years just to start talking about his predecessors' and his colleagues' sins against Sikhs?'
Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal also condemned Rahul for refusing to offer an unequivocal apology to the Sikhs.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
"His statement suggests they informed Pakistan in advance...": Digvijaya Singh on Jaishankar's 'Operation Sindoor' remark
Mandla (Madhya Pradesh) [India], June 3 (ANI): Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Monday criticised External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar over his recent statement about 'Operation Sindoor', suggesting that the government may have informed Pakistan in advance about targeting terrorist camps. Speaking to ANI, Singh said, 'S Jaishankar is a highly experienced diplomat. His father was a renowned figure and a respected defence analyst. But now, his own statement suggests that they informed them (Pakistan) in advance that they would be targeting terrorist camps. If you've already told the enemy that you're coming to attack, naturally, they will vacate the area. When you warn your enemy beforehand, they will obviously be prepared.' Earlier, Congress leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, also raised questions regarding the operation. He shared a video on social media platform X, where Jaishankar is seen speaking to reporters following the inauguration of the Honduras Embassy in Delhi. Gandhi accused the government of serious lapses. In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi wrote, 'Informing Pakistan at the start of our attack was a crime. EAM has publicly admitted that GOI did it. 1. Who authorised it? 2. How many aircraft did our airforce lose as a result?' The Ministry of External Affairs, however, rebutted Gandhi's accusations against External Affairs Minister Jaishankar that the government 'informed Pakistan' before the start of 'Operation Sindoor.' According to the XP Division of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Jaishankar had said that India had warned Pakistan at an early phase after Operation Sindoor's commencement. XP Division, MEA stated, 'EAM had stated that we had warned Pakistan at the start, which is clearly the early phase after Op Sindoor's commencement. This is being falsely represented as being before the commencement. This utter misrepresentation of facts is being called out.' Speaking to reporters on May 15, after the inauguration of the Honduras Embassy in Delhi, Jaishankar said, 'It is clear who wanted cessation of firing. We achieved the goals which we set out to do by destroying the terrorist infrastructure. Since key goals were achieved, I think we reasonably took the position, because even at the start of the operation, we had sent a message to Pakistan saying we are striking at terrorist infrastructure and not the military, and the military has an option to stand out and not interfere.' 'They chose not to take that good advice. Once they got badly hit on the morning of May 10. The satellite pictures show how much damage we did and what little damage they did. It is clear who wanted cessation of firing,' he added. Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7, targeting nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), leading to the death of over 100 terrorists affiliated with terror outfits like the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM). India's military action came in response to the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22, which claimed the lives of 26 people and injured several others. (ANI)
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
Egypt visit day one 'very productive, fruitful, constructive': Congress MP Manish Tewari
Cairo [Egypt], June 3 (ANI): Congress MP Manish Tewari said the Indian all-party parliamentary delegation began its visit to Egypt with a series of high-level interactions with key members of the Egyptian Parliament and foreign affairs experts, focusing on security cooperation and the fight against state-sponsored terrorism. Tewari while speaking to ANI, informed that as part of their diplomatic outreach, the delegation also visited the Egyptian Council of Foreign Relations, a leading think tank, where they met former Foreign Minister Mohamed Orabi and other senior ambassadors, both serving and retired. 'There was a wide range discussion on regional stability and the need to have a global coalition against state-sponsored terror. So in a sense, the first day was very productive, very fruitful, very constructive,' Tewari stated, reflecting on the day's engagements. MP Tiwari is part of Group 7 of the all-party delegation, led by Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule. Tewari said that the delegation held detailed discussions with members of both the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House of Representatives Foreign Relations Committee of the Egyptian Parliament. 'They were extremely supportive of India's position,' he noted, adding that the Egyptian side also conveyed their condolences over the April 22, 2025, terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, in which several personnel lost their lives. The delegation also paid floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Al Horreya Garden in Cairo, Egypt. Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Anurag Thakur, who is a member of the delegation, referred to Pakistan's long-standing involvement in major global terror incidents. 'We had successful meetings here. Cross-border terrorism by Pakistan has become a matter of worry for our country and the entire world. From 9/11 to 26/11, Pakistan has been involved in all such terrorist acts. The way the African Union has defined terrorism, when the countries in the world come together as a global coalition against terrorism, then only we can have a cure for this,' Thakur stated. The all-party delegation led by Supriya Sule also includes Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Vikramjeet Singh Sahney, Manish Tewari, Anurag Singh Thakur, Lavu Sri Krishna devarayalu, Anand Sharma, former Minister of Commerce & Industry, V Muraleedharan, Former Minister of State for External Affairs, and Syed Akbaruddin, Former Permanent Representative of India to the UN. The delegation aims to brief international partners on India's response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and its broader fight against cross-border terrorism while engaging with leaders in key countries. The multi-party delegation, consisting of seven groups led by one MP each, has been initiated to counter global misinformation and highlight India's zero-tolerance policy on terrorism. (ANI)
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
India not starting a war, just retaliating for terror: Shashi Tharoor
India's Operation Sindoor is not an act of war but a measured response to a vile act of terror, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said on Monday, as he led an all-party delegation to Brazil. In a firm diplomatic message, Tharoor underscored that the Pahalgam terror attack -- which claimed 26 lives -- was aimed at destabilising Kashmir's booming economy and sowing communal discord across whole idea was to signal that we are not trying to start a war,' Tharoor told Brazilian Ambassador Celso Amorim in Brasilia. 'We are just conducting retribution for an act of terror, which was a really vile act... It was horrendous and meant to do the maximum possible damage to India.'#WATCH | Brasilia, Brazil: While interacting with Ambassador Celso Amorim, Head Adviser of the Special Advisory to the President of the Republic, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor spoke on #OperationSindoorHe said, "The whole idea was to signal that we are not trying to start a war, ANI (@ANI) June 2, 2025Tharoor, speaking as head of the visiting delegation, emphasised India's stand against terrorism and the importance of rallying global understanding in the wake of increasing cross-border attacks. 'The reason we have come is very much to seek greater sympathy and understanding on the part of our friends, and also countries that are not necessarily our friends... but you are in the high friend category,' Tharoor said, referring to Brazil's recent outreach and President Lula da Silva's personal phone call to Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the ROLE UNDER SCRUTINYadvertisementIndia has accused Pakistan-based terror groups of orchestrating the Pahalgam attack, with The Resistance Front (TRF) — a proxy for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)—claiming responsibility. Tharoor highlighted India's ongoing efforts to expose the TRF's role at the United Nations, where India has repeatedly provided intelligence to the UN's 1267 Sanctions Committee.#WATCH | Brasilia, Brazil: While interacting with Ambassador Celso Amorim, Head Adviser of the Special Advisory to the President of the Republic, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, "I want to say once again if Pakistan had not chosen to expand the conflict, we would not have ANI (@ANI) June 2, 2025'LeT has created this front called the Resistance Front,' Tharoor explained. 'We have been reporting about the Resistance Front to the UN Sanctions Committee time after time... but when we encouraged our friends in the Security Council to name the group in the April 25 statement, Pakistan — sadly with China's support — had the name removed.'He lamented that neither India nor Brazil currently sits on the Security Council, a gap he suggested should be closed. 'We have to change that situation. Both of us should be on the Council together,' he had previously informed the UN about LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammad operating through smaller entities like TRF, pointing out in its May and November 2024 reports how these fronts act as facades for banned terrorist groups. The consistent denial of acknowledgment in international statements—allegedly due to Pakistani and Chinese pressure—has sparked calls for more assertive global was no action to bring the perpetrators to justice, or even to look for them in Pakistan,' Tharoor said. 'So finally, the government decided to send a strong message.'Operation Sindoor, he stressed, is that message. Not a declaration of war, but a declaration that terror will not go Indian delegation landed in Brazil on June 1 and was received by Charge d'Affaires Sandeep Kumar Kujur at the Indian Embassy in Brasilia. After meetings in Brazil, the delegation is set to continue its diplomatic outreach with a visit to the United States starting InMust Watch
