Punjab BJP President Shwait Malik Friday said Rajiv Gandhi had justified the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in a public meeting.

“Rajiv Gandhi had justified the violence in 1984 and killings of Sikhs in a public meeting by saying that ‘jab bhi koi bada ped girta hai, to dharti thodi hilti hai‘. Through this statement, he had justified the 1984 riots and this cannot be forgotten.”

Although the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), BJP’s ally in Punjab, has demanded that Rajiv Gandhi’s Bharat Ratna be revoked, Malik said it is for the Government to decide upon it. “I am just a Rajya Sabha member and it cannot be decided by me alone. It is a matter to be decided by the Government of India and hence does not come in my purview.”

Malik was in Ludhiana for a BJP meeting to take stock of arrangements for PM Narendra Modi’s upcoming rally in Gurdaspur. He stated that the incidents of blackening of Rajiv Gandhi’s statue or the boards of Rajiv Gandhi were just an emotional outburst by the Sikhs.

Talking about PM’s Gurdaspur rally, he said, “It is a thanks-giving rally in which people want to thank the PM for gifting Punjab the Kartarpur corridor. SAD will also be a part of this rally. I am thus visiting various districts to take stock of the arrangements for the rally.”

He stated that even the farmers want to thank PM for revising MSP rates last year, which benefitted them a lot.

Jatinder Mittal, district president of BJP, said 150 buses full of supporters will be sent by Ludhiana BJP. Apart from this, 600 cars will also be there as people are too enthusiastic to listen to the PM. The meeting was attended by state general secretary of BJP Rakesh Rathaur, Mandal presidents, BJP councillors and other office bearers of the party.