A day after Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda brushed off the 1984 anti-Sikh riots saying, “It happened in 1984, so what”, he has apologised for his comment, adding that the meaning of his statement had been taken “out of context”.
“The statement I made was completely twisted, taken out of context because my Hindi isn’t good. What I meant was ‘jo hua vo bura hua,’ I couldn’t translate ‘bura’ in my mind.”Sam Pitroda, Indian Overseas Congress Chief
Earlier on 10 May, he accused the BJP of “twisting his words and distorting facts” on the “what happened, happened” 1984 remarks.
He tweeted:
‘Out of Line, Must Apologise’: Rahul on Pitroda’s Remarks
Meanwhile, Congress party president Rahul Gandhi condemned his comments, writing on Facebook that what Pitroda had said was completely out of line and that he should apologise.
“People responsible for the 1984 tragedy have to be punished.....What Mr. Sam Pitroda has said is absolutely and completely out of line and is not appreciated. I will be communicating this to him directly. He must apologise for his comment,” Gandhi wrote.
Congress Distances Itself From Pitroda’s Remarks
The Congress party on Friday, 10 May, had also distanced itself from the remarks. In a statement, the Congress said it supports the “quest for justice” and “punishment for those found guilty in 1984 riots.” The statement further read:
“Any opinion remark made by any individual to the contrary including Shri Sam Pitroda is not the opinion of the Congress party. We advise all leaders to be careful and sensitive.”
The Congress also trained its guns on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said, “Unlike the BJP, which has decided to field a candidate charged with terror crimes and is being lauded as its face by none less than Shri Narendra Modi himself, Congress party has shown the moral and political courage to punish people and leaders accused of violence/role in 1984.”
Congress leader and party candidate from Anandpur Sahib Manish Tewari on Friday also condemned Pitroda for his reported comments. Tewari said that such statements deserve to be condemned unequivocally and have no place in Congress culture.
"...1984 riots were not only condemnable but also a blot on humanity and no sane person can be dismissive of this," said Tewari. "No matter how much time it takes, the guilty have to be punished and they must be punished," he added.
‘Words Show Character, Mentality of Congress’: Modi
The BJP demanded that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi apologise to the nation while ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and his wife and Union minister Harsimrat Kaur said the comments were "disgraceful" and reflected the mindset of the Gandhis.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said it is a matter of disgrace that the party had no remorse over the Sikh killings and wondered if Rahul Gandhi would “oust his Guru” for the remarks.
Latching on to Pitroda's remarks, Modi kept up his attack on the Congress while addressing poll rallies in Rohtak and Mandi in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh respectively. “How Congress ran this country for 70 years, how their mind works, how they are filled with arrogance – they summed this up themselves in three words,” Modi said.
“These words have not been spoken just like that; these words show the character and mentality and intentions of the Congress. And what were these words? 'Hua to hua'," Modi added, referring to Pitroda's remarks.
BJP chief Amit Shah in a tweet condemned Pitroda’s comments and said that the country will “never forgive” Congress’ “sins”.
Union minister Prakash Javadekar said that Pitroda's comments were “shocking” and nobody could have expected them.
He asked Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to apologise for Pitroda’s comments.
The BJP leader accused the Congress of playing with the public’s feelings. "Pitroda was Rajiv's colleague and Rahul's guru. If the guru is like this, how will the 'chela' (disciple) be? This is what Congress is doing... completely insensitive of public feelings." Javadekar said, as reported by PTI.
Reacting to the comment, SAD leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that Congress' anti-Sikh mentality was clearly visible in Pitroda's remark.
“The Congress has yet again proved that its mentality against the Sikhs has not changed. Today Pitroda said, ‘1984 has happened, so what?’ He must have not lost anyone from his family.”Manjinder Singh Sirsa, SAD
(With inputs from PTI, ANI and IANS)
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