‘Can’t blame party for the acts of a few’

A day after the Shiromani Akali Dal hit out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday said the Congress, as a party, had not been involved in the carnage.

He said if any individual was involved, he or she would be dealt with under the law. “To blame the entire party for the acts of a few was preposterous and typical of the political immaturity of Sukhbir Singh Badal [SAD leader],” he said.

Badal’s charge

Mr. Badal had alleged that Mr. Gandhi was trying to protect those Congress leaders who were involved in the riots.

Capt. Singh said Mr. Gandhi’s latest comments need to be seen in context with his earlier statements on the 1984 riots naming some Congress members.

“By attacking Mr. Gandhi, and saying that he knew about the role of many individual Congress leaders in the riots, Sukhbir has only exposed his fear of the Congress president’s growing popularity,” the Chief Minister said.

He said Mr. Gandhi had condemned all violence, including the 1984 riots, and had called for strict punishment to its perpetrators.

“It is unfortunate that due to delays caused by the judicial system, justice had been denied to many victims of the 1984 riots,” he said.