Chandigarh, May 5 (UNI) Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal today came down heavily on Rahul Gandhi over the latter's comments on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in the US last month, and slammed the Congress leader for his “hypocritical, fake and meaningless words about the sins committed by his party against the brave and patriotic Sikh quom”.

Reacting sharply to Rahul’s response to a question regarding his party’s and his ancestors’ “criminal hate” against the Sikhs, Badal said that the reported words of the Congress leader fly in the face of his insensitive conduct towards the Sikh sentiments.

“Rahul must first answer the fundamental questions which every Sikh asks every day. “Why does the Congress leader still continue not only to shield but also to reward killers of thousands of innocent Sikhs with plum posts in the party? Is he really not aware who is responsible for the genocide against our community in 1984?”

The Congress leader, during an interaction with students at Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University in the US on April 21, was asked about the anti-Sikh riots. In reply, Rahul Gandhi said that the Congress had committed many "mistakes" when he was "not there", and added "But I am more than happy to take responsibility for everything that the Congress party has ever done wrong in its history."

Referring to Rahul’s claim that he was a minor when his party and his ancestors perpetrated these crimes against the Sikhs, the SAD leader said, “True. Indeed he was a minor then. But he is 55 now. He has been an adult for the past 37 years or more and all these years, he has remained mum. Why has it taken him all these 35 years just to start talking about his predecessors’ and his colleagues' sins against Sikhs? And even now, he talks even without showing the moral courage to name the guilty and without a word of apology to the aggrieved Sikhs. Why?”

He wanted to know if Rahul still did not know that "it was his grandmother Indira Gandhi who ordered troops, rolled tanks and mortars into Sachkhand Sri Harmandar Sahib to demolish our highest religion-temporal seat, Sri Akal Takht Sahib?"

Badal also asked "if the Congress leader would confess his father Rajiv Gandhi's murderous role in the massacre of Sikhs in November 1984, and its shocking justification by him by comparing it with the trembling of the earth when a big tree falls? Can one get more heartless than this?” asked Badal.

The SAD chief also took strong exception to Rahul Gandhi saying that he has visited the Golden Temple multiple times. “Why must you talk as if you did us or our holy shrine a favour by paying obeisance there? Even the executioners of Operation Blue-star including Indira Gandhi, had also visited the holiest shrine after brutally ordering the army attack. Was that also a favour done to us or to our shrine? "

He asked Rahul Gandhi to first establish his credentials through honest action “before talking about conscience over the misery and tragedy inflicted by his ancestors and current colleagues on the innocent Sikh masses.”

“Let Rahul first expel men like Sajjan Kumar, Kamal Nath and Jagdish Tytler from his party. Even at the time of his speaking, these guilty men of 84 still enjoy position of power and respect around him. This clearly shows how insincere his words were.”

Badal said Rahul cannot “befool the Sikhs with crocodile tears or with his hollow words, political gimmicks and empty cosmetics.”

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