Punish guilty Cong men: Akal Takht

Amritsar, Punjab: The SGPC today termed Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s statement on the 1984 Sikh genocide as “laughable”. In a statement, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said the fact that Rahul had not apologised to the Sikhs, despite admitting Congress leaders’ involvement in the riots, showed the mindset of the Gandhi family towards the community.

He alleged that the Congress was involved in the massacre of Sikhs and had rewarded leaders like Sajjan Kumar, Jagdish Tytler and HKL Bhagat for “inciting genocide. He said the voters would reject the Congress which made the Sikhs feel like “slaves”.

“If Rahul knew about Congress leaders’ role in the riots, why did he not speak up earlier. He should now ensure that the guilty are punished,” said Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh.

Noted lawyer and AAP leader HS Phoolka said while 131 persons had been awarded life imprisonment and 10 death sentence for the Gujarat riots, hardly anyone had been punished for the 1984 genocide. “The massive coverup by the Congress has prevented justice being delivered to the 1984 victims. Rahul’s statement is, thus, like salt on their wounds,” he said.

Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh said it was the Congress Government that had engineered the 1984 Delhi carnage. “The sinister role of Rahul’s father Rajiv Gandhi is an open secret.”

Source: The Tribune