Hours after Rahul Gandhi said party leader Sam Pitroda should be ashamed of his “hua to hua” remark on the 1984 riots, Prime Minister Narendra hit back at the Congress president saying “Naamdar, you should be ashamed”.
Addressing Congress rallies in support of party candidates Amar Singh from Fatehgarh Sahib, Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal from Hoshiarpur and Ch Santokh Singh Chaudhary from Jalandhar, Rahul said he had personally called up Pitroda to demand an unequivocal apology, which the people of India wanted and deserved for his controversial remarks. Calling the riots totally wrong and tragic, the Congress president said those responsible for the riots should and would be punished.
“What Sam Pitroda said about 1984 is absolutely wrong and he should apologise to the nation for it. I told him this over the phone, I told him what he said was wrong, he should be ashamed and apologise publicly,” he said.
Pitroda, the in-charge of the Congress’s overseas units, on Thursday, rubbished BJP’s allegation that the 1984 anti-Sikh riots took place on the orders of former PM Rajiv Gandhi.
“Ab kya hai ’84 ka? Aapne kya kiya 5 saal mein, uski baat kariye. ’84 mein hua to hua. Aapne kya kiya? (What about 1984 now? What have you done in the last five years, talk about that? What happened in 1984, happened. What have you done?),” Pitroda was quoted as saying by ANI.
Following mass outrage over Pitroda’s remark, the Congress on Friday issued a statement distancing itself while asserting that the party continues to strive for justice for victims of any riot.
Rahul Gandhi too had said that what Pitroda said “was completely out of line” and asked him to apologise, who later apologised.
Addressing an election rally in Punjab’s Bathinda, PM Modi on Monday directed his attack against Rahul Gandhi saying, “The whole country knows what the ‘guru of naamdar’ (Sam Pitroda) said about 1984 riots. The party is in chaos because the truth is out. Naamdar (Rahul Gandhi), you should be ashamed. What does ‘hua toh hua’ mean? People were burnt alive, families were destroyed. Yet, you shamelessly claim ‘hua toh hua'”.
“Naamdaar, you pretended to scold your mentor for what? Because he publicly said what had always been in Congress’ heart? It’s you who should be ashamed,” PM Modi added.
In an indirect reference to MP CM Kamal Nath, PM Modi lambasted the Congress for appointing a leader who was facing allegations of the riots as a Minister at the Centre and making him in-charge of Punjab.
The PM further said he would fight for justice for the 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims and blamed the previous Congress governments in the Centre for not delivering justice in 35 long years.
Punjab will go to the polls for its 13 Lok Sabha seats in the seventh and final phase on May 19.