States » NorthPosted at: Oct 24 2026 10:38PM


Saini slams Congress over Nov 1 protest date, links it to 1984 anti-Sikh carnage

Chandigarh, Oct 24 (UNI) Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Saturday launched a scathing assault on the Congress, accusing the party of insensitivity and political expediency for scheduling its massive protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls on November 1, a date that coincides with the anniversary of the outbreak of the 1984 anti-Sikh violence.
In a blistering attack that sought to corner the opposition on both emotive and institutional grounds, Saini questioned why the Congress-led INDIA bloc had chosen a day seared into Sikh collective memory for its rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan against alleged electoral irregularities and what it terms "vote theft."
"Congress had 365 days in the year to protest against SIR. Why did it choose November 1?" Saini asked, addressing the media here.
His remarks came as the opposition readies a major show of strength to challenge the SIR exercise, which it claims could disenfranchise legitimate voters.
The Chief Minister said the date was not merely a coincidence but a painful reminder of the massacre that followed the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984. Over the next few days, thousands of Sikhs were killed across northern India, with Haryana alone recording 121 deaths.
"November 1 remains a day of mourning and remembrance for families who lost their loved ones, their homes, and their livelihoods," Saini said.
"For Congress to hold a political rally on this date shows a disturbing disregard for Sikh sentiments."
He demanded that the party clarify whether the scheduling was deliberate or accidental.
"If it is a coincidence, Congress should say so openly and demonstrate sensitivity. If it is not, the matter becomes far more serious," he warned.
The Congress and its allies have accused the Election Commission of using the SIR process to manipulate voter lists and have made the November 1 rally a centerpiece of their campaign on voting rights.
Saini, however, defended the revision as a constitutional necessity. He argued that the exercise was being carried out under the Election Commission's powers under Article 324 of the Constitution and Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
Removing deceased voters, those who had relocated, and duplicate entries, he said, was essential to preserving the credibility of electoral rolls, provided no eligible voter was wrongfully excluded.
Pivoting from emotive appeal to political counterattack, Saini questioned the Congress's moral authority to raise the slogan of "vote theft."
He cited purported remarks by former Congress leader Trilochan Singh, who allegedly spoke about being sent with weapons to capture polling booths in past elections.
"Those under whose rule allegations of booth capturing surfaced are now lecturing others on electoral integrity," Saini said.
He demanded that the Congress leadership explicitly state whether it accepted or rejected the former leader's alleged account, noting that such revelations raised serious questions about the party's own democratic record.
The allegations concerning past booth capturing have not been independently established.
Saini also invoked the BJP-led union government's decision in 2015 to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to reopen cases related to the 1984 violence, a move he said had revived the pursuit of justice for victims.
He pointed to the conviction of former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar as evidence that accountability was being enforced.
Highlighting his own government's efforts, the Chief Minister noted that Haryana had extended employment assistance to one eligible member from each of the 121 families that lost relatives in the anti-Sikh violence in the state.
Citing official figures, he said the carnage in Haryana had also seen 20 gurdwaras, 221 houses, 154 shops, and 57 factories set ablaze.
In a direct jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's rhetoric about opening a "shop of love," Saini asked what place the party's philosophy had for the suffering of 1984 victims.
"The pain of those who lost everything in 1984 cannot be erased by political slogans. Ensuring justice for them is not politics; it is our duty," he asserted.
The Chief Minister threw a three-pronged challenge at the opposition: explain the choice of November 1, clarify its stand on the alleged booth-capturing remarks, and account for electoral practices during previous Congress governments before questioning the integrity of present institutions.
UNI KK/NB RN
Tags: #Saini slams Congress over Nov 1 protest date# links it to 1984 anti-Sikh carnage
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