On 9th June, RSS thinker and author Ratan Sharda criticised Maharashtra Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Girish Mahajan after he attended a “Shaheedi Samagam” programme in Amritsar, Punjab, where posters of Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale were visible on the stage. Mahajan had attended the event held at the Damdami Taksal headquarters on 6th June to mark the anniversary of Operation Blue Star.
With all the possible humility may I ask Shri @girishdmahajan, does he really know Punjab history or Khalistani terrorism? We have lived through it. Bhindranwale presided over killing of nearly 30000 Hindus & 50000 Sikhs. Sangh or BJP never bowed to him. Please return to…
— Ratan Sharda 🇮🇳 रतन शारदा (@RatanSharda55) June 9, 2026
In his speech at the programme, Mahajan described Operation Blue Star as a “black day” and paid tribute to those killed during the military action as “martyrs”. He also compared the Army action at the Golden Temple complex with Afghan ruler Ahmad Shah Abdali’s attack and criticised then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Maharashtra BJP minister Girish Mahajan broke a taboo by speaking from the stage displaying a banner featuring Damdami Taksal’s 14th head Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and others while attending the June 1984 anniversary at the Taksal’s headquarters at Chowk Mehta ON June 06. pic.twitter.com/QwNx1hOVaP
— Kamaldeep Singh ਬਰਾੜ (@kamalsinghbrar) June 7, 2026
He said, “For us, Operation Blue Star is a black day. Our brothers and sisters were killed in it. It was a military attack on our sacred place. Indiraji forcefully sent them to Punjab and our sacred place.” He further added that the incident was not an accident but a “planned conspiracy” in which several people were killed, and stated that no one was punished for it.
Ratan Sharda questions Mahajan’s understanding of Punjab history
Reacting sharply to Mahajan’s participation in the event and his remarks, RSS thinker Ratan Sharda asked whether the BJP leader really understood Punjab’s history and Khalistani terrorism.
“With all the possible humility may I ask Shri @girishdmahajan, does he really know Punjab history or Khalistani terrorism? We have lived through it,” Sharda wrote on X.
He added, “Bhindranwale presided over killing of nearly 30000 Hindus & 50000 Sikhs. Sangh or BJP never bowed to him. Please return to Maharashtra. Don’t damage @BJP4Punjab & Sikh-Hindu relations. Lock your advisor.”
Notably, in a post on X, the BJP leader had announced that he had attended the event to pay homage to “Sikh heroes and heroines” who attained martyrdom during the “turbulent period of Sikh history in June 1984”.
📍 अमृतसर, पंजाब
— Girish Mahajan (@girishdmahajan) June 6, 2026
जून १९८४ मधील शीख इतिहासाच्या संघर्षमय पर्वात शहीद झालेल्या सर्व शीख वीर-वीरांगनांच्या पवित्र स्मृतींना अभिवादन करण्यासाठी आयोजित ४२ व्या शाहिदी समागम कार्यक्रमास उपस्थित राहिलो.
या पवित्र प्रसंगी शहीदांच्या अतुलनीय त्याग, शौर्य आणि बलिदानाला कृतज्ञतापूर्वक… pic.twitter.com/PeVPTNzMxM
Who is Ratan Sharda
Ratan Sharda is an author and RSS thinker. He is a well-known panellist who presents the RSS point of view on different political, social and national issues on different forums and platforms. He has also written several books on the RSS, including RSS 360: Demystifying Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, RSS: Evolution from an Organization to a Movement, and Conflict Resolution: The RSS Way.
In the book Conflict Resolution: The RSS Way, co-authored by Ratan Sharda and Yashwant Pathak, there is a separate section that discusses the period of Khalistani terrorism and the RSS’s role during that phase.
RSS workers were killed by Khalistani terrorists in Moga
On 25th June 1989, Khalistani terrorists opened fire at RSS workers attending a daily shakha at a park in Moga district of Punjab. The attack claimed the lives of 25 swayamsevaks and injured several others. A bomb explosion followed soon after, killing a couple and two policemen.
According to reports, the terrorists had asked RSS workers to take down the Sangh flag that was hoisted during the shakha. The RSS workers refused, leading to the terrorists opening indiscriminate fire. Despite the massacre, the RSS held a shakha at the same spot the very next day, which was attended by 100 swayamsevaks. During that meeting, they reportedly sang songs stressing Hindu-Sikh unity. The message was that Khalistani terrorism would not be allowed to break social unity in Punjab.
The park was later renamed Shahidi Park. A memorial was also built in memory of those killed in the Moga attack.
Who was Bhindranwale
Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was the head of the Damdami Taksal and became the most controversial face of Khalistani terrorism in Punjab. He and his armed followers occupied parts of the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar. In June 1984, the Indian Army launched Operation Blue Star to remove militants from the complex. Bhindranwale was killed during the operation.
