1984 Anti Sikh riots: Sukhbir Badal demands withdrawal of Rajiv Gandhi's Bharat Ratna

Punjab's former Deputy Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday demanded that the Bharat Ratna conferred on India's former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi posthumously in 1991, should be withdrawn immediately. The demand comes after former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's admission proved that the Rajiv Gandhi did not allow the army to be deputed in Delhi to stop the genocide being perpetrated on the Sikhs because his family was behind this dastardly act.

He said the disclosure of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh had vindicated the SAD’s stand that the 1984 massacre could have been averted had Rajiv Gandhi heeded appeals to let the army be called in to tackle arsonists led by Congress party leaders who systematically targeted the lives and properties of Sikhs.

"Besides Dr. Manmohan Singh’s statement, the records of the Union home ministry also showed that the decision to not call in the army had taken place at a meeting presided over by Rajiv Gandhi. The entire Sikh community is agitated that a person, who planned the massacre of thousands of Sikhs, oversaw it and even prevented any reprieve to the community despite pleas should continue to retain the highest civilian award of the country even posthumously. This injustice must be corrected and I appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to withdraw this honour from Rajiv Gandhi expeditiously,” he said.

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Sukhbir Badal demands a case to be registered against Rajiv Gandhi

He also demanded that a case should also be registered against Rajiv Gandhi posthumously as well as all others involved in preventing the army from entering Delhi to put an end to the looting and killings being done by the goons of the Congress party. Adding further he said, “political appointees, as well as bureaucrats responsible for this criminality, should be awarded exemplary punishment to set an example for future generations that no one could indulge in such barbarity and get away with it."

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Sukhbir Singh Badal also urged the Union government to erase Rajiv Gandhi’s name from all roads, airports, institutions and government schemes immediately. “The country cannot and should not honour someone who has indulged in butchery”, the SAD president said adding all the landmarks and schemes could be renamed to honour martyrs like Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Shaheed Udham Singh who deserved this honour rightfully. He also stated that all these steps were in consonance with the sentiments of the Sikh community and would provide rightful closure to the sufferings of the victims of the 1984 carnage.

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