Senior Congress leader and former Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram has described Operation Blue Star as a “mistake,” stating that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ultimately paid the price for the decision with her assassination.
Speaking at a discussion on ‘They Will Shoot You, Madam: My Life Through Conflict’ with author Harinder Baweja, Chidambaram offered a rare critical assessment of the 1984 military action.
“No disrespect to any military officers here, but that (Blue Star) was the wrong way to retrieve the Golden Temple,” Chidambaram said. “Blue Star was the wrong way, and I agree that Mrs Gandhi paid with her life for that mistake.”
Operation Blue Star, ordered by Indira Gandhi in June 1984, was aimed at flushing out militants led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale from the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar. The operation led to heavy casualties and widespread outrage, particularly within the Sikh community. Just months later, Gandhi was assassinated by her own Sikh bodyguards, Beant Singh and Satwant Singh, on October 31, 1984, triggering horrific anti-Sikh riots across the country.
Blame is Not Solely on Gandhi
While casting a critical light on the operation, Chidambaram was quick to deflect sole blame from the late Prime Minister.
“But that mistake was a cumulative decision of the Army, the police, the intelligence and the civil service. You cannot blame it only on Mrs Gandhi. Would you?” he asked the audience.
The Congress party has historically faced severe criticism over both the military action and the ensuing anti-Sikh riots. While the party has offered statements of regret in the past, Chidambaram’s remarks are considered one of the most direct acknowledgements of a fundamental error by a senior Congress leader regarding the operation.