Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Monday praised Rahul Gandhi’s recent response regarding the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, calling him a “clean-hearted” politician and stating that India was “fortunate” to have such a leader.
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During his recent US visit, Rahul Gandhi was confronted by a Sikh student about the 1984 riots. The Congress MP responded by acknowledging the party’s mistakes, stating, “A lot of those mistakes happened when I was not there. But I’m more than happy to take responsibility for everything that the Congress party has ever done wrong in its history. I have publicly stated that what happened in the 80s was wrong. I have been to the Golden Temple multiple times. I have an extremely good relationship with the Sikh community in India and a loving relationship with them.”
The context of these events traces back to June 1984, when then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi (Rahul’s grandmother) ordered Operation Blue Star, a military action to remove armed militants led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale from the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
The operation resulted in significant casualties and damage to the holy shrine.
In October of the same year, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards, triggering widespread anti-Sikh violence across the country.
Raut, whose party is a Congress ally, commended Gandhi’s willingness to accept past mistakes. “Rahul Gandhi ji is a politician with a clean heart. We have seen that he accepts his mistakes. It is our good fortune that the country’s politics has leaders like him,” he said.
The Shiv Sena leader also suggested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah should learn from Rahul Gandhi’s example of acknowledging mistakes.
