Rahul rubbing salt into wounds of Sikhs: BJP

The BJP today accused Congress President Rahul Gandhi of rubbing salt into the wounds of Sikhs with his comments that his party was not involved in the 1984 riots against the community and said that it amounted to denying them justice.

BJP's national secretary R P Singh said Gandhi was trying to wash his party's hands of its alleged culpability in the riots, which had broken out following the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi.

Gandhi, who was on a two-day visit to the UK, told an audience of UK-based parliamentarians and local leaders on Saturday that the incident was a tragedy and painful experiences, but disagreed with the view that the Congress was "involved".

Singh said, Sikhs are already troubled due to lack of justice and such comments by Gandhi would vitiate the atmosphere and may push certain people in the same cycle of violence that was seen in 1980s.

The Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) leader said Congress leader Manmohan Singh had as prime minister apologised for anti-Sikh riots and the then party president Sonia Gandhi had expressed regret.

"What was this apology from prime minister and regret from Congress president then all about," Singh asked.

The Congress was forced to cancel its leader Kamal Nath's appointment as Punjab assembly polls in-charge following angry reaction from the community, whose members have alleged his involvement in the violence, he added.