Digital Desk |
New Delhi, Nov 12 (IANS) Indian Overseas Congress chief Satyanarayan Gangaram Pitroda, popularly known as Sam Pitroda, speaking about the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, questioned the relevance of talking about something that happened four decades ago and said that people should now think about the future. He questioned why discussions continued to revolve around historical events when India was facing challenges it needed to meet now.
He also said that there is little point in repeatedly discussing past events, stressing that the focus should instead be on building a “prosperous nation” rather than dwelling on “what happened in Ram’s time”.
In an exclusive interview with IANS, Pitroda was asked whether the Congress should be held accountable for the anti-Sikh riots of 1984. The riots, also described by several Sikh organisations and international bodies as a Sikh genocide, involved a series of coordinated attacks against members of the Sikh community across India.
The violence erupted following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984, by her two Sikh bodyguards, Beant Singh and Satwant Singh.
The assassination came months after the military operation at the Golden Temple in June 1984, known as Operation Blue Star, to flush out separatist militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his armed followers who were occupying the Akal Takht and parts of the sacred complex in Amritsar.
Responding to the question, Pitroda questioned the relevance of repeatedly revisiting an incident that took place more than four decades ago. He said that the matter had already been discussed extensively and that the courts and other relevant authorities should be allowed to take decisions on it.
“What is the sense in talking about something that happened 40 years ago now? I have said many times there has been so much conversation on it. You know, let the people in court and others decide. Why do we just dig things up and throw mud? I don’t understand our attitude. What does that have to do with today? How long can you go on with this? You’ve got to look at the future,” Pitroda said.
“That was more than 40 years ago. And this has been going on. Let’s look at the future. Let’s move on. Let’s design a better, prosperous, peaceful nation for everybody. That should be the agenda. Not what happened in Ram’s time or why did Hanuman go here, why did he lift the mountain?” Pitroda told IANS.
The Congress leader further questioned why discussions continued to revolve around historical events when the country was facing challenges concerning the future of younger generations. He said greater attention should be given to children’s education, employment opportunities and skill development instead of remaining preoccupied with the past.
“It makes very little sense today to talk a lot about the past. We are still hung up on the past. We’ve got to look forward. We’ve got to see the future of our children, our grandchildren, their education, their employment, their jobs, in a sense, their skill set. That is the real challenge,” he added.
Pitroda also said that the younger generation should be more interested in knowing about Artificial Intelligence (AI), education issues and the challenges that lie ahead.
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