Congress leader and former Union Minister P. Chidambaram has admitted that the draconian and inhuman Operation Blue Star initiated by the Indira Gandhi government in 1984 was a “mistake”. He further added that it was indeed the “wrong way” to reclaim the sacred Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab. Ultimately, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi paid the price for the mistake, Chidambaram asserted.
“No disrespect to any military officers. But that was the wrong way to retrieve the Golden Temple. Blue Star was the wrong way and I agree that Mrs. Gandhi paid with her life for that mistake”, reiterated P. Chidambaram. Congress Leader made these assertions while speaking at an event in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh.
Operation Blue Star was a draconian and despotic decision by the then Indira Gandhi government in 1984. Under the banner of eliminating the separatist and anti-national elements from Punjab who were led by the radicalist leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the Indira Gandhi government directed the security officials to mercilessly raid the sacred Golden temple in Punjab.
It was perceived that Bhindranwale and his associates were hiding in the Golden temple complex. Thus, the security officials cracked down on the sacred shrine of the Sikhs. Such cruel measure of the Indira Gandhi government hurt the religious sentiments and dharmic principles of the Sikh community.
During Operation Blue Star, tanks, heavy artilleries and other weapons were targeted towards the Golden temple leading to the death of hundreds of innocent civilians from the Sikh community. This incident completely devastated and outraged the Sikh people and other nationalists as community beliefs and innocent civilians were mercilessly harmed in the name of eradicating anti-national elements. Ultimately, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi paid the price for the misdeeds, when she was shot dead by her own security officials who were apparently enraged by the meaningless and unmindful Operation Blue Star that hurt larger community and religious sentiments.
Congress Party criticizes Chidambaram
The comments by the Congress leader P. Chidambaram have ignited criticisms and backlash from the Congress Party. Rashid Alvi, Senior Congress leader, accused him for speaking in the tone of BJP and reiterated that Chidambaram may be under political pressure from other parties. “Whether Operation Blue Star was right or wrong is a debatable issue. But after 50 years, what is P Chidambaram’s compulsion to keep targeting the Congress? By saying Indira Gandhi took a wrong step, he is doing exactly what the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi do”, Alvi claimed.
“A senior leader who has been given everything by the party should speak with responsibility. Repeated statements that hurt the party are not right”, another statement from the congress Party sources said. These accusations and contradictory statements also reflect the nature of party pressure and internal party rift present within the Congress Party. P. Chidambaram has directly come under the critical scanner of the Congress Party apparently for spitting the facts, either intentionally or unintentionally with respect to the atrocities committed by the Indira Gandhi government during Operation Blue Star.
