Manmohan Singh tries to absolve Rajiv Gandhi in 1984 Sikh massacre; Receives flak and backlash from all quarters

The 1984 Sikh massacre perpetrated by the Congress under Rajiv Gandhi is one of the darkest periods in Indian history. The massacre of Sikhs in Delhi and other parts of the country was a organised pogrom against the community in the aftermath of the killing of Indira Gandhi. When Sikhs were being hunted and murdered in broad daylight, the then PM Rajiv Gandhi had infamously said that the earth shakes when a big tree falls.

Several Congress leaders have been charged with perpetrating the massacre and few like Sajjan Kumar have been found guilty and convicted too. Other Congress leaders like Kamalnath who were also accused in the anti-Sikh riots have only risen in the Congress. Rajiv Gandhi has also been accused of not doing enough to stop the anti-Sikh riots when he was the PM.

35 years later, former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh has tried to wash of the blemish on Rajiv Gandhi by pinning the blame on the then Home Minister PV Narasimha Rao. Speaking at an event ex-PM claimed that when the anti-Sikh riots started in Delhi, IK Gujral had gone to meet the then HM PV Narasimha Rao and told him that the situation is so grave that it is necessary for the government to call the Army at the earliest. He then alleged that if that advice had been heeded perhaps ’84 massacre could have been avoided, putting the entire blame on Narasimha Rao.

The Congress never owned the legacy of PV Narasimha Rao and has infact disowned him several times. The treatment meted out to him after his death is known to all. But now it seems that the Congress leaders are out to absolve the ‘first family’ of all blemishes by pinning the blame on others like PV Narasimha Rao.

The attempt by Manmohan Singh to pin the blame for the anti-Sikh riots has not gone down well with the netizens. While many expressed that PV Narasimha Rao has been the fall-boy for all Congress ills as he did not bow to the Gandhi’s, others pointed out that Manmohan Singh himself did nothing to bring the perpetrators to book.

One user accused MMS of trying to endear himself to Sonia Gandhi by trying to absolve Rajiv Gandhi in the riots. An account in a biography on PVN says that all information related to the riots should be sent directly to the PMO under Rajiv Gandhi bypassing the Home Minister. All reports from the local police stations too were sent to the PMO directly says the account.

Another user said that Manmohan Singh is being less charitable by blaming PVN who had saved him when he faced backlash as Finance Minister under him.

Another user accused MMS of trying to save the real conspirators and questioned that if MMS knew about PV Narasimha Rao’s role in 1984 then why did he agree to work under him in 1991 and kept silent till now?