Pitroda's statement shocking, govt's duty to find those responsible for 1984 riots: Amarinder Singh

Expressing total disagreement over Congress leader Sam Pitroda's controversial remarks on 1984 riots, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday said the statement is unacceptable and it is the duty of the government to find who was responsible for those riots.

Speaking to media persons, Singh said: "I totally don't accept that statement. It is the duty of successive government to find out who was behind it and how the riots happened. This has to be found and the investigation must carry out. The people who have done this should be punished as per law."

On Thursday, Pitroda had said, "If the 1984 riots happened, they happened, so what."

Earlier in the day, while en-route to Jalandhar Punjab CM had told reporters: "The 1984 riots were a big tragedy and justice had yet not been meted out to the victims. If some individual leaders were allegedly involved in the riots, they should be punished as per law."

Singh also attacked Prime Minister Modi on the issue and said: "The PM was unnecessarily dragging Rajiv's name to court controversies and diverting attention with his lies from the real issues. The prime minister had not uttered a single word on the work done by his government in the past five years. BJP had been totally exposed and were now grabbing at non-existent straws in their desperation to get back into the elections."

On Thursday, the BJP citing Nanavati Commission report had said, "instructions to kill" in 1984 came directly from then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's office.

"It's on record of Nanavati Commission that probed the 1984 anti-Sikh riots that instructions to kill came directly from the then PM Rajiv Gandhi's office. The country awaits justice for this karma," the BJP had tweeted from official handle.

In response to this, Pitroda while rubbishing the allegations had said, "I don't think so, this is also another lie, and what about 1984? You speak about what you have done in five years. It happened in 1984, so what? (1984 hua toh hua). What have you done? (Ab kya hai '84 ka? Aapne kya kiya 5 saal mein, uski baat kariye. '84 mein hua to hua. Aapne kya kiya?)"

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also stepped up his attack on the Congress on the anti-Sikh riots issue saying, the views of Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda reflects party's mindset from the beginning and because of this "arrogance" people will push it below 44 seats in the Lok Sabha elections.

Today Pitroda has also hit out at BJP for "twisting his words and distorting facts" to "hide their failures," while reaffirming that he had acknowledged the pain of Sikhs during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.