1984 anti-Sikh riots accused Jagdish Tytler meets Sonia Gandhi; BJP slams Congress mindset

After 1984 anti-Sikh riots accused Jagdish Tytler called on Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the national capital on Thursday, Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma cried foul. Speaking to the media, he contended that this reflected the mindset of Congress towards Sikhs and the entire state of Punjab.

Maintaining that the massacre didn't take place without the desire of some Congress leaders, he also alleged that the Gandhi family never tendered an apology. Tytler's appointment as a permanent invitee to the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee on October 28, 2021, was staunchly opposed by BJP as well as Shiromani Akali Dal. 

"This shows the mindset of Congress towards Punjab and the 1984 riots is evident from this. This shows the love Congress has for the person whose name is associated with the 1984 massacre. This means that they have some involvement in the 1984 massacre, the massacre didn't happen without their desire. Until now, the Gandhi family has never apologised for that massacre. Punjabis were massacred and the Sikh brethren had to bear the brunt," the Punjab BJP president opined.

Alleged involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots

A senior leader of Congress, Tytler has served as a Union Minister in the past. However, he has faced a barrage of accusations for the last three decades for his alleged involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Along with Sajjan Kumar, he was another mainstream Congress leader who was accused of leading mobs to kill Sikhs. While the Nanavati Commission hinted at his role in the riots, successive Congress governments did not show the inclination to press charges against him.

In fact, he was even inducted as a minister after the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) came to power at the Centre. During the second term of the UPA government, the CBI gave a clean chit to Tytler. But a Sessions Court rejected the closure report and ordered an investigation into his role. While there has been public pressure on Congress to cut off ties with Tytler, it has often accommodated him on a public platform.

In January 2019, Congress faced a lot of criticism for giving a front-row seat to Tytler during the ceremony of former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit taking over as the Delhi Congress chief. Stoking another controversy, the anti-Sikh riots accused joined the protest of the Congress party against the Delhi Police's action in Jamia Millia Islamia University and Aligarh Muslim University at India Gate on December 16, 2019. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was one of the prominent leaders sitting on a dharna on this occasion.