Sam Pitroda's remarks on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots last week is "absolutely wrong and he should apologise to the nation for it", Rahul Gandhi said today, reiterating his stand on the controversial remarks made by the Congress leader.
"What Sam Pitroda said about 1984 is absolutely wrong and he should apologise to the nation for it. I told him this over the phone, I told him what he said was wrong, he should be ashamed and apologise publicly," Mr Gandhi said at an election rally in Punjab's Fatehgarh Sahib.
Mr Pitroda had used the words "hua toh hua (what happened, happened)" while trying to dismiss questions on the anti-Sikh riots last week, triggering criticism from political parties cutting across ideological lines. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it showed the Congress' "character and mentality", Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh termed the remark as "shocking".
He apologised shortly after his party distanced itself from his comments and warned all its leaders to be careful."What I meant was move on. We have other issues to discuss as to what the BJP government did and what it delivered. I feel sorry that my remark was misrepresented, I apologise. This has been blown out of proportion," Sam Pitroda told.
Hours after Rahul Gandhi said senior Congress leader Sam Pitroda should be ashamed for his comment on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Prime Minister Narendra Modi retorted, directly attacking the Congress president: "Arrey naamdar, you should be ashamed."
"I was watching that naamdar told his Guru that he should be ashamed of what he said. I want to ask naamdar, you pretended to scold your mentor for what? Because he exposed what was always in the Congress's heart, and in the discussions of the naamdar family? Because he made public a family secret? Arrey naamdar, it is you who should be ashamed," said the Prime Minister.
The row began over the BJP's claim that the Nanavati Commission, which probed the 1984 carnage, had found that "instructions to kill"came from the office of then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, the father of Rahul Gandhi.