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BJP president Raj Nath Singh terms November 1984 Sikh genocide as ‘Hindu-Sikh riots’

February 14, 2014 | By Sikh Siyasat Bureau

Jalandhar, Punjab (February 14, 2014): In what could become the subject of a big debate in the coming days especially during the pre-poll scenario in India and further hurt the sentiments of Sikhs as well as Hindus across the world, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Rajnath Singh Thursday termed the 1984 massacre or genocide of Sikhs as ‘Hindu-Sikh Riots’.

In a way Rajnath has directly accused the majority community of the killings of thousands of Sikhs. And this was not said by the BJP leader off the camera, he said it on TV.

Rajnath Singh was speaking on NDTV in an interview on the issue of Telangana conducted by none other than much celebrated anchor Barkha Dutt, Thursday afternoon.

Alleging that Congress was indulging in vote bank politics over the issue and the BJP was not doing so, Rajnath sought to remind Barkha Dutt that ‘BJP even didn’t indulge in vote bank politics over 1984 Hindu-Sikh riots.’

Rajnath, to lend credibility to his Hindu-Sikh riots terminology, patted the back of the BJP for its role during the shameful episode.

YesPunjab.com brings what the BJP president spoke, in chaste Hindi, verbatim.

“….hum politics kewal sarkar banane ke liye nahin karte, desh banane ke liye karte hain. Aapne dekha hoga, ke 1984 mein, jis samay, Hindu Sikh Riots hua tha us samey Bharti Janta Party ne kis tarah ka role play kiya tha. Humne ye nahin dekha ke majority humse naraaz ho jayegi, kya hoga hamara, hamare vote bank par us ka kitna prabhav padega, hamne jo bhi us samay ka violence hua tha, usko condemn kiya.”

There was no reason for Rajnath to bring in the Sikhs and the 1984 Sikh massacre in the discussion on the NDTV, as the interaction was rallying around some bills being pushed by UPA govt. including the bill on Telangana and the political heat generated by these bills.

Known for her quick reflexes, the ever cautious, vigilant and ready to react Barkha Dutt shockingly decided to gloss over and made no effort whatsoever either to object to or correct Rajnath Singh on his new characterisation, terminology or definition of 1984 massacre of Sikhs.

It is pertinent to mention here that not even a single person of any other community including the majority community was killed in Delhi and elsewhere while thousands of Sikhs were butchered and lynched in November 1984.

Surprisingly, ‘Hindu-Sikh Riots’ is the term used first time by a leader of any party. The victims, Sikh Groups and those who researched the subject have never termed the episode as ‘Hindu-Sikh Riots’.

Till now the shameful episode had only been termed as ‘state sponsored massacre’ of Sikhs but this is for the first time that a leader of the stature of Rajnath has sought to bring in Hindus as a party and term the unfortunate incidents as ‘Hindu-Sikh Riots’.

It is natural for the Sikhs to object because they hold that the episode was definitely not a riot but a massacre, but unfortunately for Rajnath, the Hindus may also not like the new terminology as it would automatically hold them responsible and guilty of the massacre of thousands of Sikhs.

Significantly, the massacre of Sikhs in Delhi and other parts of the country had all along been referred to as anti-Sikh riots while the Sikhs had been objecting to the terminology saying that the unfortunate episode must not be called so and should be referred to as Sikh Genocide or pogrom.

Sikh groups have been objecting to even the term anti-Sikh riots but Rajnath Singh has gone a step ahead and termed these as riots between Hindus and Sikhs. Even the Akal Takht, the seat of ultimate authority of Sikhs, had issued a directive not to term the episode as riots but to call it a genocide. Of late, even most of the national media has done away with the term anti-Sikh riots and has started terming the unfortunate chapter as massacre or genocide.

The BJP all along has been claiming to politically back the Sikhs on the issue calling it as a Congress led state sponsored massacre. Holding the then Congress government responsible for the state sponsored massacre, it had been continuously castigating the Congress for not imparting justice to the victims of 1984 Sikh massacre even as BJP’s Vajpayee led government during its six years long tenure also couldn’t deliver justice to the victims.

The shift in BJP’s stand and the change in terminology by none other than Rajnath himself, seems to have come after senior Congress leader and former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s statement alleging that even the BJP and RSS men were involved in the unparalleled heinous butchering of Sikhs in November 1984.

Amarinder, while admitting and naming the involvement of some Congress leaders had also alleged that BJP and RSS leaders and workers were involved in the Sikh massacre. He, besides giving some names had told that FIRs against 49 people related to the BJP and RSS were filed for the crime.

A political expert said that Rajnath Singh’s new terminology of 1984 Sikh massacre was not only sure to annoy the Sikhs but was also likely to be used by Congress to clear itself of the stigma it has been carrying for the last three decades.

Note: Above write-up is adapted version of a news that was originally published by YesPunjab.Com under title: “RAJNATH SINGH TERMS NOVEMBER 1984 SIKH GENOCIDE AS HINDU-SIKH RIOTS” at source page: http://yespunjab.com/sikh/issues/item/40476-rajnath-singh-terms-november-1984-sikh-genocide-as-hindu-sikh-riots/

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Related Topics: 1984 Sikh Genocide, Anti-Sikh Mindset, BJP, November 1984, Rajnath Singh BJP

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