New Delhi: BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has stirred controversy with a sensational claim that the 1984 Operation Blue Star was carried out in collaboration with the British government.

Dubey alleged that British military officers were present in Amritsar during the military operation ordered by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, which targeted militants inside the Golden Temple complex.

“In 1984, Indira Gandhi ordered an attack on the Golden Temple in collaboration with the British. British army officers were present in Amritsar at the time,” Dubey posted on X on Monday.

He further accused the Congress party of exploiting the Sikh community for political gain. “For the Congress party, the Sikh community has always been treated like a political pawn,” he added.

Backing his claim, Dubey referenced a top-secret letter dated February 23, 1984, written by Brian Fall, then Private Secretary at the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office, addressed to Hugh Taylor, Private Secretary to the Home Secretary.

The letter shared by Dubey stated: “The Indian authorities recently sought British advice over a plan to remove Sikh extremists from the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The Foreign Secretary decided to respond favourably to the Indian request and, with the Prime Minister’s agreement, an SAS (Special Air Service) officer visited India and drawn up a plan which has been approved by Mrs Gandhi. The Foreign Secretary believes that the Indian Government may put the plan into operation shortly.”

Dubey went on to allege that Indira Gandhi's government used constitutional appointments to placate public outrage in its aftermath.

“While innocent devotees were killed during the 1984 attack on the Golden Temple, the Congress government appointed Giani Zail Singh as the President of India,” he said.

He further claimed that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s appointment in 2004 was a political move to shield Congress leaders implicated in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Dubey also raised the issue of the Kartarpur Sahib shrine, claiming that India lost access to the holy site as a result of a 1960 agreement made by the then Congress minister Sardar Swaran Singh.

Earlier on Sunday, Dubey had accused the Congress government of having “given away 80 per cent of India's share of Indus River waters and Kartarpur Sahib to Pakistan” under the Indus Waters Treaty signed in 1960. IANS