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| 1984 riots: Javadekar slams Manmohan Singh, says if Rao was so bad, why did you become FM under him? |
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New Delhi: Hitting out at former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh for his statement on 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Union I&B and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on Thursday said the former Prime Minister has now accepted the fault of the Congress government.
"I saw Manmohan Singh's remark that the 1984 riots would not have happened had Narasimha Rao acted. I want to tell Manmohan ji that ordering the army to tackle the issue is Prime Minister's prerogative and Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister at that time. Why did he not do anything?" asked Mr Javadekar.
He further claimed that Rajiv Gandhi had supported the massacre, saying "bada ped girta hai toh dharti hilti hai (Whenever a big tree falls, the earth shakes) and added that "these were his words of support".
On Wednesday, while attending an event to mark the 100th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister IK Gujral, Dr Singh had said that if the then Home Minister P V Narasimha Rao had acted upon the advice by Gujral, the 1984 massacre could have been avoided.
"When the sad events of 1984 took place, IK Gujral ji went to the then Home Minister PV Narasimha Rao and told him, situation is so grave that it's necessary for government to call Army at the earliest. If that advice had been heeded perhaps the 1984 massacre could've been avoided," Dr Singh had said.
Questioning the senior Congress leader's claim, Mr Javadekar further said that "I want to ask the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that if Rao was so bad then why did you went on to become a Finance Minister under Narasimha Rao?"
"Manmohan ji has now accepted the fault of the then Congress government," he added.
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