Ravi Shankar Prasad in Chandigarh; Questions Rahul Gandhi over Congress’ handling of 1984 Sikh riots cases
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, November 4, 2026: Senior BJP leader and Patna Sahib MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday questioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his party’s handling of the 1984 anti-Sikh violence cases, asking why the Congress had allegedly shielded leaders accused in the massacre, including Sajjan Kumar, Jagdish Tytler and Kamal Nath.
Addressing the BJP’s day-long conclave, Zakhm 84 De, in Chandigarh, Prasad accused the Congress of failing to deliver justice to the victims and their families over four decades. He alleged that successive Congress governments relied on commissions and inquiries but did not demonstrate the political will to secure convictions.
Taking aim at Rahul Gandhi, Prasad questioned the Congress leader’s position on the controversial remark made by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi after the 1984 violence: “When a big tree falls, the earth shakes.”
“What is your stand on your father’s statement? Why have you or your family never tendered a sincere apology to the nation?” Prasad asked.
He also questioned the Congress’s political activities in Punjab, saying that holding rallies while the wounds of 1984 remained unhealed amounted to rubbing salt into the victims’ injuries.
Prasad said the Congress’s approach to the cases had been marked by what he described as “delay, distract and dismiss”. He argued that despite the setting up of several commissions, justice remained elusive during successive Congress-led governments, including the tenure of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
He credited the Narendra Modi government with setting up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and implementing the recommendations of the Justice Dhingra committee, which, he said, helped secure convictions in cases related to the massacre. He also acknowledged the legal efforts of senior advocate H.S. Phoolka.
Recalling his tenure as Information and Broadcasting Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, Prasad said he had ensured that video evidence of Rajiv Gandhi’s November 19, 1984 statement was restored to the public domain.
Describing the 1984 massacre and drug addiction as two major challenges facing Punjab, Prasad said justice for the victims could not be compromised.
The conclave opened with an Ardas for the peace of those killed in the 1984 violence and the continued pursuit of justice. An archival photographic exhibition documenting the violence was also inaugurated by Prasad, Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon and party’s Punjab in-charge Dr Satish Poonia.
BJP national spokesperson R.P. Singh moderated the opening session, recalling the long legal battle pursued by victims and their representatives.