JOIN USPMO ordered killings during 1984 anti-Sikh riots: BJP
It’s on record of Nanavati Commission that probed the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the biggest genocide of India in which the government killed its own citizens, that instructions to kill came directly from the then PM Rajiv Gandhi’s office.
— BJP (@BJP4India) May 9, 2019
The country awaits justice for this karma. pic.twitter.com/UouJo7Pq75
The Congress did not immediately retort to BJP's latest barb.
The former prime minister has been on the target of the BJP in the last few days as Prime Minister Narendra Modi first attacked him over the 1987 Bofors scam and more recently when he claimed that Gandhi used the aircraft carrier, INS Viraat as a “personal taxi” to ferry family and friends for a vacation at Lakshadweep in 1987.
“Your father was termed ‘Mr Clean’ by his courtiers, but his life ended as ‘Bhrastachari number 1’ (corrupt number 1),” Modi took a jibe at Rahul’s late father during a rally in Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh while accusing the Congress and its current president Rahul Gandhi of attempting to tarnish his image over the Rafale issue.
Rahul meanwhile, Tweeted a retort, saying: “Modi Ji, The battle is over. Your Karma awaits you. Projecting your inner beliefs about yourself onto my father won’t protect you. All my love and a huge hug.”
Modi Ji,
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 5, 2019
The battle is over. Your Karma awaits you. Projecting your inner beliefs about yourself onto my father won’t protect you.
All my love and a huge hug.
Rahul
Priyanka retorted by saying the PM in an “uncontrolled madness” dismissed the martyrdom of a clean and virtuous man.
Vice Admiral Vinod Pasricha (rtd) who was the skipper of INS Viraat, however, denied the presence of the then prime minister’s family on board the aircraft carrier, which was a new acquisition for the Navy then. Congress seized on Pasricha’s account to hit out at the ‘false’ allegations as he maintained that Rajiv Gandhi was on board for official purposes.
Earlier, on Thursday, BJP also hit out at Congress leader Sam Pitroda for his reported comments on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and demanded an apology.
Union minister Prakash Javadekar said Pitroda's comments were "shocking" and nobody could have expected it.
"He (Pitroda) said 1984 genocide happened. So what? This is completely unacceptable to the country and we cannot allow this to sustain," Javadekar said.
Asked about the 1984 riots, Pitroda had reportedly said: "84 mein hua to hua."
"Genocide was a gruesome thing that happened to India. At that time, (then prime minister)
Rajiv Gandhi justified it by saying that when big tree fails, earth tremors," Javadekar said. "The science says exactly the opposite that when earth tremors, big tree falls. This is what the science is."
The BJP leader accused the Congress of playing with public 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 is Congress doing... completely insensitive of public feelings."
"They must apologise. We demand that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi should apologise, not only to Sikhs but to the entire country as it is an offence unacceptable to the country," Javadekar added.
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(With inputs from PTI.)