PM Modi was addressing a rally in Haryana's Rohtak.
Highlights
- Sam Pitroda had brushed off BJP claim on anti-Sikh riots
- PM said Mr Pitroda's remark shows Congress's "character"
- "What happened, happened" remark condemned by Arun Jaitley, Amit Shah too
Congress leader Sam Pitroda's "Hua to hua" comment on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots showed the "character and mentality" of the party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday while campaigning in Haryana's Rohtak. The comments have been condemned by several other leaders of the ruling BJP, including party president Amit Shah and Union Minister Arun Jaitley.
"Congress, which ruled for a long time, has been insensitive and that is reflected by the three words spoken yesterday...these words have not been spoken just like that, these words are character and mentality and intentions of the Congress. And which were these words, these were 'hua to hua'," PM Modi said, referring to Sam Pitroda's comment.
"Hua to hua," repeated PM Modi and said to his audience they must be wondering what the Prime Minister was saying.
"We can very well understand arrogance of those who run the Congress in these three words-hua to Hua. Yesterday, one of the tallest leaders of the Congress, speaking in a loud voice on 1984, said ''84 ka danga hua to hua''. Do you know who this leader is, he is very close to the Gandhi family...this leader was a very good friend of Rajiv Gandhi and the guru of Congress ''naamdar'' (dynast) president," he said, without mentioning Rahul Gandhi.
"Thousands of Sikhs were dragged out of their homes and killed, but the Congress says 'hua to hua'."
On Thursday, Sam Pitroda had made the comment when he was asked about the BJP's claim that the Nanavati Commission that probed the 1984 carnage had recorded that "instructions to kill" came directly from the office of then PM Rajiv Gandhi.
"I don't think so, this is also another lie, and what about 1984? Ab kya hai 1984 ka? Aapne kya kiya 5 saal mein, uski baat kariye. 1984 mein hua to hua. Aapne kya kiya? (You speak about what you have done in five years. It happened in 1984, so what? What have you done)," Sam Pitroda, the overseas Congress chief, told news agency ANI.
Nearly 3,000 were killed in the riots that followed the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. The Congress has been accused of shielding leaders who allegedly led mobs in a killing spree in Delhi and a few other states.