At a time when BJP has been dismissing talks of a patch-up with its former ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the Akali Dal president (Sukhbir Badal) appears to have held out an olive branch to the saffron party by welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi's criticism of the Congress (for the 1984 Operation Bluestar) during his reply to the no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha recently. But, at the same time, Badal is getting trolled on social media for seeking the Centre’s “unconditional apology” to the Khalsa Panth in a bid to give “emotional closure to the deep and still festering wounds of the Sikh”. Netizens blasted Badal for asking the current BJP-led Centre to apologise for an act (Operation Bluestar) carried out during the Congress regime. Posting on X, one Suyash Bharadwaj said, “Kare koi aur bhare koi?” Another SutliMaiyya posted, “Ask Rahul Gandhi to apologize as his family is responsible.” One Shubho posted, “Why didn't you come up with this brilliant idea while you were a part of the government both at Center and the state?” Similary, the Indian Pen posted, “Why didn't you ask the same question when you were in a coalition with the BJP? Achanak panth di yaad kivein aa gayi?” During the speech the PM had torn into the Congress for the 1984 Operation Bluestar carried out by the Army to flush out militants holed up in the Golden Temple. At the time Indira Gandhi was the PM in the Congress-led government at the Centre. The PM had blamed Indira Gandhi for the “attack on the Akal Takht”, the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs. While hailing Modi's criticism of the Congress, Badal in a post on X, formerly Twitter, also asked the PM “to follow up his honest statement about the Army assault on Sri Harmandir Sahib in June 1984 by placing on record an unconditional apology of the Government of India to the Great Guru Sahiban and to their most sacred religious shrine and seat of spiritual and temporal authority as well as to the entire Sikh quom (community)”. While I welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement finally acknowledging the guilt of #OperationBluestar as an outrageous attack on the holiest Sikh shrine, Sachkhand Sri Harmandir Sahib and the highest seat of Sikh religio-political authority (Miri-Piri), Sri Akal Takht… pic.twitter.com/d8unCLHkFT — Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) August 12, 2023 Posting on X on Saturday night, Badal said, “While I welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement finally acknowledging the guilt of #OperationBluestar as an outrageous attack on the holiest Sikh shrine, Sachkhand Sri Harmandir Sahib and the highest seat of Sikh religio-political authority (Miri-Piri), Sri Akal Takht Sahib, there is no reason whatsoever left now for the Govt of India not to tender an unconditional apology to the Khalsa Panth for this most tragic outrage against the Guru’s abode. Therefore, I call upon the Prime Minister to follow up his honest statement about the army assault on Sri Harmandir Sahib in June 1984 with the only obvious and logical next step – placing on record an unconditional apology of the Govt of India to the Great Guru Sahiban and to their most sacred religious shrine and seat of our spiritual and temporal authority, as well as to the entire Sikh quom.” Badal further said: “This will go a long way in putting an emotional closure to the deep and still festering wounds of the Sikh masses and in restoring the age-old bonds between two principal communities in Punjab and the country. This in turn will strengthen the atmosphere of peace and communal harmony across the country.” The Ferozepur MP (Badal) added, “It will also be a major step towards removing the dark blot from the country’s image and also restore faith and confidence in the minds of the minorities in the country, especially the patriotic Sikh community. I call upon leaders of all political parties to join the PM in this initiative and not play politics over it. I especially urge AAP Convener @ArvindKejriwal to come forward to offer this apology as a member of the opposition alliance of which the perpetrator of the horrendous and inhuman crimes of 1984 is a major component. Kejriwal’s party now rules Punjab and he has therefore a special moral responsibility in this regards.” The SAD had walked out of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre three years ago over the now-repealed three contentious central farm laws. None from the BJP, Congress or the ruling AAP in Punjab responded to the remarks made by Badal when The Indian Express tried to reach them. Keeping the focus of his attack on the Congress and the Gandhis, the PM in the Lok Sabha had said the party cannot run away from its “past sins” and cited examples from history – the use of IAF against the people of Mizoram in 1966, former PM Jawaharlal Nehru's comment that appeared to surrender Assam to advancing Chinese troops in 1962, Indira Gandhi ordering the attack on the Akal Takht in 1984. “They used to celebrate their birthdays by cutting cakes in aircraft. Today, the aircraft are used to distribute vaccines for poor people. Aircraft were used to transport clothes for them, today those wearing hawai chappals are travelling in them. Indian Navy ships were used for their holidaying. Today, they are used to bring back Indians from distressed areas,” the PM had said. Recently, Badal had also urged PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to reserve two seats for the Sikh community in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
