New Delhi, Oct 30 — Delhi BJP President Harsh Malhotra said on Friday that the Congress has hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community by planning a rally on November 1 in the middle of the community’s mourning over the massacre of thousands of Sikhs in the 1984 riots.
Malhotra said that at the request of Sikh families, community members and institutions in Delhi who suffered during the 1984 anti-Sikh massacre, the Delhi BJP has decided to organise a symbolic protest march against Congress' insensitivity on November 1 in Sikh-dominated Hari Nagar, West Delhi, alongside thousands of Sikh citizens and BJP workers.
The march will be led by Union Minister Sardar Hardeep Singh Puri, he said.
The Delhi BJP President said the four days from October 31 to November 3 hold a particularly dark place in India's history, especially in the collective memories of the Sikh community. From the evening of October 31, 1984 until November 3, 1984, Congress workers massacred thousands of innocent Sikhs, looted their homes and shops, and set them ablaze.
Malhotra said that by organising a rally in Delhi on November 1 to politically relaunch its defeated and discredited leader Rahul Gandhi, Congress has hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community.
The Sikh community across the country wants the Congress to apologise for the massacre of innocent Sikhs by Congress workers on November 1, 1984, before attempting to relaunch Rahul Gandhi on November 1, 2026.
The Delhi BJP President said that several Sikh leaders and office-bearers of Sikh institutions have been meeting BJP leaders over the past 10 days, seeking their support in bringing the sentiments of the Sikh community before the entire society.
He said traders in Delhi are also distressed by Congress' decision to organise a major rally during the Diwali week. They fear that the arrival of thousands of vehicles from outside Delhi for the November 1 rally will lead to traffic congestion and severely disrupt their businesses.
Delhi's traders have repeatedly appealed to Congress leaders to postpone the rally until after Diwali, but Congress has refused to reconsider its decision, he said.
Moreover, new pollution-control regulations will come into force in Delhi from November 1, restricting the entry of vehicles below BS-VI standards from outside the city. If the Delhi Police stop older vehicles arriving for the rally, Congress leaders may create an uproar and allege that the government is attempting to sabotage their protest.
Malhotra said that it is unfortunate that Congress has chosen November 1 to relaunch its failed leader, thereby hurting the sentiments of the Sikh community. At the same time, it remains indifferent to the potential business losses of Delhi's traders and the harm that increased pollution may cause to citizens.