‘Let us see what solutions emerge in the future’.
Apparently concerned over the political fallout of a shoe-hurling by a Sikh journalist at Home Minister P Chidambaram, the Congress today indicated it was open to review the candidatures of Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar, who were facing allegations of involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
“The Congress is a large party and it takes considered decisions at appropriate time. Let us see what solutions emerge in the future,” party spokesman Ashwini Kumar said at the AICC briefing held hours after the incident.
Kumar was asked to comment whether the party would withdraw nominations to Tytler and Sajjan Kumar, a demand also made by the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Congress spokesman initially said that he was not there to comment on BJP statements.
Last week, the CBI submitted in a trial court that it did not have sufficient evidence to prosecute the Tytler, a former Union minister, in the 1984 riots case.
Asked why the Congress gave tickets to the two leaders when they were already accused in the anti-Sikh riots, Kumar said: “Being called a culprit and being proved a culprit are separate things.”
Ashwini Kumar said the party has always worked towards giving a “healing touch” and not reopening the “wounds” and the act of shoe-hurling was not proper.
He recalled that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on the floor of Parliament, had described the incidents after the assassination of Indira Gandhi as unfortunate and shameful. Party chief Sonia Gandhi also did the same.
Rubbishing suggestions that the CBI was manipulated by the then Congress government during the riots, Kumar said, “The Congress has never interfered in the course of justice in a case. Neither it did in the past, nor it will do in future.”
