On Tuesday, December 28, hours after the last rites were performed for former PM Manmohan Singh (MMS), the newly minted Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra sought to exploit his death to advance the brand of divisive politics long championed by the Congress party.
Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, Ms Vadra posted a tweet designed to defame the Centre and create a sympathy wave by insinuating he wasn’t treated well in death by the Modi government.
“By not providing an adequate place for the cremation of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, the Government has not done justice to the dignity of the post of former Prime Minister, the personality of Manmohan Singh, his legacy and the self-respecting Sikh community,” the translation of Vadra’s tweet, which was in Hindi, said.
पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री डॉ मनमोहन सिंह जी के अंतिम संस्कार के लिए यथोचित स्थान न उपलब्ध कराकर सरकार ने पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री के पद की गरिमा, मनमोहन सिंह जी की शख्सियत, उनकी विरासत और खुद्दार सिख समुदाय के साथ न्याय नहीं किया।
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) December 28, 2024
इससे पहले सभी पूर्व प्रधानमंत्रियों को सर्वोच्च सम्मान और…
“Earlier, all former Prime Ministers were given the highest honour and respect. Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji deserves this honour and Samadhi Sthal. Today the whole world is remembering his contribution. The government should have thought beyond politics and narrow-mindedness in this matter,” she added.
Ms Vadra alleged that she witnessed Dr Manmohan Singh’s family members struggling to find space at the funeral site while alleging that the general public faced difficulties due to insufficient room to pay their final respects to the former Prime Minister of India.
Ms Vadra’s aspersions came a day after the Union Home Ministry announced on Friday night that the government will designate space for a memorial honouring former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. This decision has been conveyed to his family and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.
In a late-night statement titled “Facts of the Matter Regarding Memorial for Former Prime Minister Late Dr Manmohan Singh,” the ministry revealed that the government had received a request from the Congress president to allocate space for a memorial for Singh.
Following the Cabinet meeting, Union Home Minister Amit Shah informed Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Manmohan Singh’s family that the government would provide space for the memorial.
Besides, the Congress leader’s desperation to play the Sikh card speaks to the party’s age-old tradition of pitting one community against the other and cultivating vote banks by instigating resentment among various sections of society. Similar fearmongering was also employed by her brother, Rahul Gandhi, during his recent trip to the United States, where he fallaciously claimed that Sikhs were being persecuted in India.
“First, it’s important to understand what the real issue is. The fight isn’t about politics; that’s just on the surface. What’s your name? The fight is about whether he, as a Sikh, will be allowed to wear his turban in India, or whether he’ll be permitted to wear a kada, or even attend the Gurdwara. That’s what this struggle is about, and it extends beyond him to all religions,” Mr Gandhi said in his usual rambling way while speaking at a public event in the United States.
Months later, Ms Vadra is attempting to foment discontent among the Sikh community by feigning concern for them in the aftermath of former PM Manmohan Singh’s death. And while Ms Vadra is at it, it is noteworthy to mention that it was under her party’s rule and leaders belonging to her party when Sikhs were ruthlessly massacred in 1984 following the assassination of former PM Indira Gandhi.
How Congress leaders perpetrated the 1984 anti-Sikh pogrom
The 1984 Anti-Sikh riots took place in the aftermath of the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Indira Gandhi was assassinated on 31st October 1984 by her Sikh bodyguards as revenge for Operation Blue Star. From 1st November to 4th November, Sikhs across the country were killed. The government figures suggest the angry mobs, many of which were led by Congress leaders, brutally murdered 3,350 Sikhs.
Sikhs across the country, particularly in north India, went into hiding, with many men shaving off their heads, which is proscribed as per Sikhism. Yet, to save themselves from bloodthirsty mobs of rioters, several Sikh men had to give up their faith, remove their turbans, and shave their heads to avoid being identified as Sikhs.
Sajjan Kumar was one of the many Congress leaders accused of involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh massacre. Even after grave allegations against him, Congress rewarded him with a ticket to contest elections in 1991, which he subsequently won. He also won the 2004 general elections on the Congress ticket from the Outer Delhi seat with the highest-ever votes at 8,55,543 votes. A Sanjay Gandhi loyalist, he served as a Member of the Committee on Urban Development and Committee on Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme in 2005.
The ex-Congress MP was charged with the murder of a man and his son in west Delhi’s Saraswati Vihar. On November 1, 1984, a thousand-strong mob allegedly burned alive a father and son duo (Jaswant Singh and Tarun Deep Singh) in Raj Nagar, West Delhi. The prosecution had stated that the crowd burned alive the two men, as well as damaged, destroyed, looted, arson and inflicted severe injuries on their family members and relations, on Kumar’s incitement and abetment. While framing the charges, the court said sufficient evidence was on record to form a prima facie opinion that Sajjan Kumar was not only “a participant of the riotous mob but had also led it”.
Sajjan Kumar was not the only loyalist of the Nehru-Gandhi family and Congress who was accused of leading the mob and running a riot. Another such leader was Jagdish Tytler, who continues to hold sway in the Congress party. The Nanavati Commission recorded the testimony of a witness namely, Jasbir Singh, who stated that on 3rd November 1984, he was passing by the TB hospital gate after taking dinner at the house of one Sucha Singh situated at Outram lane when he had seen Jagdish Tytler coming there in a car.