NDA convenor George Fernandes today appealed to the Sikh community to mount pressure on the Central government to seek justice for those killed in the 1984 riots. He, however, upset some members of the community who did not like the idea that the premises of a gurudwara was being used for a political speech.
The former Defence minister, on a personal visit to Ahmedabad, gave a 45-minute speech on the ‘‘shortcomings’’ of the Justice G T Nanavati Commission report at the gurudwara on S-G Highway on Sunday.
‘‘There is no mention of the role of (former prime minister) Rajiv Gandhi in the report. Moreover, I myself saw so many Congress leaders indulge in violence on the streets of Delhi… None of their names are there. I have high regard for Justice Nanavati but it appears as if he worked under pressure,’’ he said.
Commenting on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s role, Feranandes said: ‘‘The Prime Minister has many rights but whether he is able to do anything with it is doubtful. Asking forgiveness from the people is not enough, action should be taken.’’
Fernandes said that he would go to other gurudwaras in the country and ask the Sikh community to launch an agitation.
Over 200 men and women present at the gurudwara were somewhat annoyed that a religious place was used by Fernandes for a political speech. ‘‘We are very unhappy. No one should be allowed to use gurudwara to raise the banner of politics. We will write to the Sikh committee and ensure that politics and religion are not mixed ever again,’’ said Rajdeep Singh.
Women who had come for Sunday prayers were irritated and stated that they had come to listen to religious hymns and not a politician’s speech. They complained to the gurudwara committee member for not seeking the permission of the community before organising a political programme.
Some men also questioned Fernandes on the 2002 Gujarat riots as he was the then Defence minister, but he refused to respond. Later talking to mediapersons, Fernandes said Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was an able administrator.
Stating that 1984 riots and 2002 riots cannot be compared, he came to Modi’s defence: ‘‘Modi had faxed me a letter to send Army at the earliest. The Army reached late in Gujarat as it was deployed on the borders after the Parliament attack.’’
Asked about the current crisis within the BJP, including the Gujarat unit where several dissidents are seeking Modi’s ouster, Fernandes said: ‘‘It is an internal matter of the BJP and I will not like to comment on it.’’