Congress party not involved in 1984 Riots: Tariq Anwar

NCP national general secretary Tariq Anwar, who was the national president of Indian Youth Congress when the anti-Sikh riots broke out in Delhi following Indira Gandhi’s assassination, insisted on Tuesday that “the Congress as a party” was never involved in those riots even though “some party leaders in their individual capacity got involved in it”.

Anwar also said then newly sworn-in PM Rajiv Gandhi had “give clear instructions” to the Congress leaders, including him “to go out and help calm down the situation” in the city even as “Rajiv ji himself visited many places helping administration quell the riots”.

Anwar asked why “those people who are still targeting Rahul despite the fact he was only a school student when the riots took place” and "those who continue to attack the Congress despite then PM Manmohan Singh and then Congress president Sonia Gandhi publicly apologising for the riots, conveniently choose not to ask the BJP leaders, including PM Modi and L K Advani why they have not apologised for the Gujarat riots and for the demolition of Babari masjid”.