‘Pitroda Should Be Ashamed,’ Says Rahul; Modi Rakes Up Issue Too

Last week, Pitroda brushed off the 1984 anti-Sikh riots saying, “It happened in 1984, so what”.

File image of Congress leader Sam Pitroda.

(Photo: PTI)

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP continuing their attack on the Congress over Sam Pitroda's remarks on the 1984 riots, party chief Rahul Gandhi on Monday, 13 May, said the leader should be ashamed of himself and seek apology from the country.

While addressing a rally at Solan in Himachal Pradesh on Monday, the prime minister fired a fresh salvo, raking up the issue.

“They (Congress) ask for votes in the name of their ancestors, but when questioned on their ancestors misdeeds, they say hua to hua (what’s done is done),” news agency ANI quoted Modi as saying.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi criticised Pitroda’s comment, while speaking at a campaign rally in favour of Fatehgarh Sahib’s Congress candidate Amar Singh.

“What Sam Pitroda said about 1984 (anti-Sikh riots) was totally wrong and he should seek an apology from the country. I am saying this publicly and I also said the same to him over phone. Pitroda ji, what you had said was completely wrong and you should be ashamed of yourself. You should seek public apology,” he said.

Last week, Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda brushed off the 1984 anti-Sikh riots saying, “It happened in 1984, so what”.

Later, however, he apologised for his comment, adding that the meaning of his statement had been taken “out of context”.

“The statement I made was completely twisted, taken out of context because my Hindi isn’t good. What I meant was ‘jo hua vo bura hua,’ I couldn’t translate ‘bura’ in my mind,” he said.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)