Cong failed to prevent anti-Sikh riots: Pilot

ADAMPUR, Nov 12: Senior Congressman and Congress Working Committee member Rajesh Pilot today called upon the BJP- led Central government to ...

ADAMPUR, Nov 12: Senior Congressman and Congress Working Committee member Rajesh Pilot today called upon the BJP- led Central government to mete out an exemplary punishment to whosoever was responsible for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi.

Accepting the then Congress government8217;s failure to prevent the riots, Pilot said the Congress had realised that it was a 8220;blunder8221; and the then Congress government had failed to uphold law and order when anti-Sikh hysteria was unleashed in Delhi after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984.

Evading a reply to the questions whether the Congress should formally apologise to the nation regarding the anti-Sikh riots, Pilot told reporters here that accountability was the main consideration. 8220;We accept our fault in failing to prevent the riots. But we have also stood for demanding severe punishment to those responsible for these,8221; he added.

He claimed that the Congress party would take required action against some partymen whose names were doing the rounds as perpetrators of the riots. 8220;Let the courts pronounce them guilty, we won8217;T spare them8221;, he added.

At the same time he called upon the current BJP government to quickly move to take action against the guilty. He reminded that the then Delhi Chief Minister Madan Lal Khurana had promised to book the culprits within two months of taking over.

Predicting that the coming elections to four states would prove to be a disaster for the BJP, Pilot claimed the Congress was all set to capture power in Rajasthan, Delhi, Madhaya Pradesh and Mizoram which go to polls on November 25.

He predicted that the 17-party coalition headed by the BJP would disintegrate after the results of the coming elections in four states.

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Claiming that November was crucial to the political scenario of the country, Pilot said far reaching political changes were expected during the month after the results of the elections in four states. Alleging widespread failure of the BJP government on price-rise,inflation and foreign policy, Pilot said the government had totally failed to run the country. Alleging that the BJP leadership indulged in double speak on various issues, Pilot said Prime Minister Vajpayee and Home Minister L.K. Advani were often airing contradictory views on many issues.

He accused the government of complete failure in handling the post-nuclear blast world reaction. Pilot said the Congress had approached the foreign policy as a coordinated effort and had faced Pakistan8217;s attempts to internationalise the Kashmir issue by sending the then Leader of Opposition Vajpayee to Geneva. 8220;The BJP has destroyed such a culture of mutual trust and they are totally directionless in foreign policy,8221; he added. Later Pilot, accompanied by PPCC president, Amarinder Singh addressed an election rally in favour of the Congress candidate from Adampur.