AMIT SHAH ACCUSES RAHUL GANDHI OF INSENSITIVITY OVER RAMLILA RALLY ON 1984 ANTI-SIKH RIOTS ANNIVERSARY

November 1, 2026

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the INDIA bloc for organising a political rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on November 1, the anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Addressing a gathering in Chandigarh, Shah said the event would “rub salt into the wounds” of the victims and their families, arguing that the date carried deep historical and emotional significance for the Sikh community.

Recalling the violence that followed the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984, Shah said thousands of Sikhs were killed, many people were burnt alive, and numerous families were displaced. He also invoked a controversial remark made by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi after the violence: “When a big tree falls, the earth shakes.” Shah accused the Congress of failing to show adequate sensitivity towards the victims and said the BJP had previously appealed to the party to avoid holding its rally on November 1, 2 and 3.

The INDIA bloc organised its ‘Chalo Dilli’ rally at Ramlila Maidan as part of its campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, raising allegations of irregularities in electoral rolls and concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. The Opposition has demanded accountability over alleged voter deletions and electoral irregularities.

Shah also targeted Rahul Gandhi over the Opposition’s symbolic public impeachment proceedings against the Chief Election Commissioner, held a day earlier. Taking a swipe at Gandhi’s political ambitions, he said that if the Congress leader wanted to become Prime Minister, he could continue participating in mock Parliament sessions, adding that his turn would never come.

The remarks intensified the political confrontation between the BJP and the INDIA bloc, with the 1984 anti-Sikh violence becoming a central point of criticism surrounding the Opposition’s November 1 mobilisation in the national capital.