Decode Politics: 40 years on, why Congress is still jostling with its Operation Blue Star past

Channi’s statement indicated the Congress’s lasting discomfort over the issue. The major player in Punjab politics has often found itself on the receiving end of criticism from political rivals like the BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal over the issue.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has on several occasions – in public rallies and Parliament – accused the Congress of “attacking the Akal Takht”.

A look back at Operation Blue Star, how the Congress has tried to ward off criticism over it, and is the party still facing the political impact of it in Punjab?

How has Rahul Gandhi tackled the issue?

Gandhi, who first visited the Golden Temple in 2008, has been a frequent visitor to the Sikh shrine in recent years. His visit in August last year, where he stayed at the temple for three days and engaged in volunteer work, was seen as an attempt to extend an olive branch to the community.

However, there has been no controversy involving Gandhi and the Congress history of Operation Blue Star under its government during these visits. The attempts of the Shiromani Akali Dal, which has significant influence over the SGPC, to denounce the Congress as “politically untouchable” also had no impact on these visits.

There were some raised eyebrows when Gandhi sported a “kesri” turban ahead of the Punjab leg of his Bharat Jodo Yatra; as “kesri” is a colour associated with Sikh militants. SGPC member and its former general secretary Gurcharan Singh Grewal had told The Indian Express: “There was a time when wearing a kesri turban was enough for a person to be branded a terrorist in Punjab.”

How has the Congress addressed the 1984 question?

The Congress has helmed three governments in Punjab since Operation Blue Star. In 1992, it formed the government under Beant Singh amid a boycott by Opposition parties, with only 23% of the vote share. After suffering a loss in the 1997 polls, the party brought back into its fold Amarinder Singh, who had quit over Operation Blue Star in 1984, and rode to victory in the 2002 and 2017 polls.

In 2006, as CM, Amarinder Singh paid compensation of Rs 1 lakh each to some of those detained under the NSA following Operation Blue Star. Government records state that 1,592 Sikhs were detained from the Golden Temple and its adjoining inns on June 6, 1984, after the operation Blue Star. Of them, 379 were arrested under the NSA.

In 2018, the Amarinder government awarded compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to those detained after Operation Blue Star, with retrospective interest at 6%. This was in response to a petition moved in court by 71 detainees in 1991, alleging “harassment” and wrongful confinement by authorities.

Amarinder announced his government would comply with the court order even as the Centre urged the CBI not to appeal against the ruling in higher courts.

* How has the issue impacted the Congress?

Parkash Singh Badal, the late Akali Dal patriarch and former CM, frequently targeted the Congress over the issue, while his successor and son Sukhbir Singh Badal has often displayed photographs of the Akal Takht damaged post Operation Blue Star at his rallies. He says this is to remind voters of “what the Congress did in 1984”.

However, the impact of the chain of events on the Congress’s electoral performance has been dwindling. In fact, in the recent Lok Sabha polls, the Akali Dal managed to win only a single seat while the Congress emerged victorious in seven of the state’s 13 seats.

Leader of opposition in the Assembly and Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa said, “In addressing the historical wounds of Operation Blue Star, it is imperative to acknowledge that nearly four decades have passed since those tragic events. During this time, India has evolved in many ways, with the spirit of reconciliation often proving stronger than the divisions of the past. The Sikh community, known for its resilience and magnanimity, has always valued both forgiveness and the act of seeking forgiveness as signs of true strength. While there is no denying that Operation Blue Star was a grave misstep, a genuine gesture of contrition from Congress should not be seen as a taboo or political liability. Instead, it could serve as a bridge to heal old wounds and foster greater unity in a country that thrives on diversity and harmony. Leadership, after all, is about acknowledging the past with humility, while committing to a more inclusive and just future.”

* Why is it wrong to see the issue as dead?

The victories of Sarabjit Singh – son of Indira Gandhi’s assassin Beant Singh – from Faridkot and the chief of the hardline group Waris Punjab De, Amritpal Singh, from Khadoor Sahib in the recent polls suggest that the issue is still relevant in the state’s politics.

Sources said Channi’s and Bajwa’s statements might be a way for the party to put a lid on the issue as it seeks to portray Gandhi as a strong face, both nationally and internationally, especially when he speaks on issues pertaining to minorities, including Sikhs.