P Chidambaram Calls Operation Blue Star "Wrong Way," Says Indira Gandhi Paid with Her Life for the Mistake

Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Congress leader P Chidambaram.

Operation Blue Star, executed under former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's directives to remove terrorists from Amritsar's Golden Temple in 1984, was the "wrong way," and the Congress leader "paid with her life for that mistake," according to former Union Minister P Chidambaram.

He emphasized that the operation resulted from a "cumulative decision of the army, the police, the intelligence and civil service," suggesting Gandhi shouldn't bear sole responsibility.

The former Union Home and Finance Minister shared these thoughts while moderating a discussion on "They Will Shoot You, Madam," a book by journalist Harinder Baweja, at the Khushwant Singh Literature Festival in Himachal Pradesh's Kasauli on Saturday.

"No disrespect to any service officers present here but that was the wrong way to retrieve the Golden Temple. Three to four years later, we showed the right way to retrieve the Golden Temple, by keeping out the army," stated the senior Congress leader.

"There was a way to retrieve and capture all the militants. The Blue Star was the wrong way. I agreed that Ms Gandhi paid with her life for that mistake but that mistake was a cumulative decision of the army, the police, the intelligence and the civil service. We can't blame it on only Ms Gandhi," he continued.

Operation Blue Star occurred between June 1 and June 8 in 1984, as the Indira Gandhi government attempted to suppress a separatist movement in Punjab led by radical preacher Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

Bhindranwale, who had taken refuge inside the Golden Temple, was killed when the Indian Army stormed the premises, one of Sikhism's holiest sites. The military operation, which reduced the Akal Takht to rubble, ignited profound resentment within the Sikh community.

Months later, Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards. Her death sparked widespread violence against the Sikh community, with several Congress leaders suspected of inciting this violence.

Government estimates indicate that over 3,000 Sikhs were killed in Delhi and elsewhere.

The Congress party's management of the crisis, including former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's controversial statement "when a big tree falls, the ground shakes," has repeatedly haunted the party. The Bharatiya Janata Party frequently references the 1984 riots to counter the Congress's political criticisms.