Chidambaram calls Operation Blue Star a mistake, says Indira Gandhi ‘paid with her life’

Delhi: Former Union Minister P Chidambaram has described Operation Blue Star, carried out in 1984 on the orders of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, as the “wrong way” to deal with terrorists at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. He added that Gandhi “paid with her life for that mistake,” but stressed that she cannot be solely blamed for the decision.

Why does he say Gandhi was not solely responsible?

Speaking while moderating a discussion on the book ‘They Will Shoot You, Madam’ by journalist Harinder Baweja at the Khushwant Singh Literature Festival in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, on Saturday, Chidambaram said the operation was a collective decision.

He explained, “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.”

Could there have been a better approach?

Chidambaram suggested there was a more effective way to handle the situation at the Golden Temple.

“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,” he said.

He further remarked, “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.”

What was Operation Blue Star?

Operation Blue Star was conducted between June 1 and June 8, 1984, when the Indira Gandhi government sought to crush a separatist movement in Punjab led by radical preacher Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Bhindranwale, who was hiding inside the Golden Temple, was killed during the army operation.

The Indian Army stormed the premises, leaving the Akal Takht damaged and sparking deep resentment within the Sikh community.

What were the aftermath and political consequences?

Months after the operation, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards. The subsequent violence saw widespread attacks on the Sikh community, with over 3,000 Sikhs reported killed in Delhi and other parts of India, according to government estimates. Several Congress leaders were suspected of having fuelled the violence.

The Congress party has repeatedly faced criticism for its handling of the riots, and remarks by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, including “when a big tree falls, the ground shakes,” continue to haunt the party. The Bharatiya Janata Party has often used the 1984 riots to target the Congress in political debates.