For close to a quarter of a century the Congress has been in a state of denial. Photographic and video proof, eyewitness accounts and circumstantial evidence all pointed the finger at some Congress leaders allegedly leading or provoking lumpen elements in the 1984 riots. Starting with Rajiv Gandhi’s infamous and insensitive statement that “when a big tree falls, the earth trembles” the Congress has missed many opportunities to heal the wounds caused by the senseless violence. Various inquiry panels were constituted and efforts made to rehabilitate victims. To be fair, many families were successfully rehabilitated but the wounds continue to fester. Rajiv Gandhi could never visit Amritsar during his lifetime. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi condemned the incidents and held out regrets, but when it came to action against the culprits, there is nothing much for the Congress to show.

The Congress missed another opportunity when it became obvious to anyone that the Nanavati Commission’s report was not implemented in its spirit. Some of the persons it indicted were let off on flimsy grounds. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the first Sikh to hold the post, did apologise for the 1984 riots but did not follow it up with expediting action against those responsible. Now, the timing for the CBI giving a “clean chit” to Jagdish Tytler, even as the Lok Sabha elections are on the horizon, could not have been worse. The very fact that the news reports about it came a day before the CBI’s sealed report was presented to the court led to the suspicion that there was more than what met the eye. It brought back the issue to the centre-stage of public discourse.

... contd.