Indira Gandhi must have been influenced if foreign involvement in Bluestar true, says ex-CBI director

Commenting on claims that former Britain Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's Government may have helped former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi plan Operation Bluestar in 1984, former CBI director Joginder Singh said on Tuesday that Indira Gandhi must have been influenced by her advisors if this was true.

"Indira Gandhi was a very strong PM, and she must have been influenced by someone. I do not think she had such far sight regarding issues. Her advisors must have influenced her. Congress has anyway always played a minority card. Sikhs were misunderstood at that time. In our nation, everything happens with the vote bank policy," said Singh.

"Also, if that letter was written, then it was a very wrong thing, and a matter of home, discussing it internationally was wrong," he said

He further said that political parties only knew how to play vote bank politics in the country.

"Sikhs are a minority in the country but no one is concerned about them. Today, these people are just concerned about Muslim votes. Until the time vote bank politics will survive, things like these will happen. Policies for minorities have never been made and never been taken seriously in our country," said Singh.

"Political parties never do anything for vote except criticizing each other. Our enemies are our own people, and saying foul words for each other to win in elections has become a profession now, he said.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has directed his Cabinet Secretary to establish the facts behind claims that Margaret Thatcher's Government may have helped Indira Gandhi plan Operation Bluestar in 1984.

Labour MP Tom Watson and Lord Indarjit Singh had demanded an explanation after recently declassified documents indicated that Britain's Special Air Service (SAS) officials had been dispatched to help India on the planning on the raid of the Golden Temple to take out militants from the shrine, an operation left more than 1,000 people dead.

"These events led to a tragic loss of life and we understand the very legitimate concerns that these papers will raise. The Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Secretary to look into this case urgently and establish the facts," a UK government spokesperson said in a statement issued in London on Monday night, according to reports.

"The PM and the Foreign Secretary were unaware of these papers prior to publication. Any requests today for advice from foreign governments are always evaluated carefully with full ministerial oversight and appropriate legal advice," he added.