Author: TNN
Publication: The Times of India
Date:  December 6, 2019
URL:      https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/84-riots-manmohans-rao-remark-sparks-row/articleshow/72392303.cms

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s comments that had the late I K Gujral’s pleas to then home minister P V Narasimha Rao for Army deployment in the wake of Indira Gandhi’s assassination been heeded, the 1984 anti-Sikh riots may have been avoided saw BJP slamming Singh for seeming to give Rajiv Gandhi a clean chit.

Information & broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar said Rajiv Gandhi, as the then PM, must take the rap for the widespread violence since it is the PM who has the right to order Army deployment rather than the buck stopping at Rao. “In a way, Rajiv Gandhi supported the massacre with his subsequent comments that the earth shakes when a big tree falls,” Javadekar said.

In Hyderabad, Rao’s grandson N V Subhash also criticised Singh on Thursday for pointing a finger at Rao for the attacks on Sikhs in 1984 while shielding the Gandhi family. Subhash told TOI his grandfather was asked not to intervene by his political bosses when anti-Sikh violence was raging across Delhi.

At an event organised on Wednesday in memory of Gujral, also a former PM, Singh said, “When the sad event of 1984 took place, Gujralji on that evening went to then home minister P V Narasimha Rao and said to him that the situation is so grave that it is necessary for the government to call in the Army at the earliest. If that advice had been heeded, perhaps the massacre that took place in 1984 could have been avoided.”

Taking a swipe at Singh, both Javadekar and Subhash questioned Singh’s decision to become the finance minister in Rao’s government in 1991. Singh as finance minister had initiated major reforms with Rao fully backing him, even against attacks from within Congress. In fact, Rao had steadfastly rejected calls for Singh’s resignation following the UTI scam. Singh had referred to Rao as his “political guru” though he had also mentioned that “Caesar’s wife should be above suspicion” after Rao and Congress lost the elections in 1996.

BJP general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh also tweeted, “Even at this age and seniority former PM Sri Manmohan Singh is not able to cross the Lakshman rekha of pointing at family... He blames P V Narasimha Rao for not stopping Sikh riots instead of Rajiv who was then PM...”