Former Union Minister P. Chidambaram has described Operation Blue Star, the 1984 military operation ordered by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to remove terrorists from the Golden Temple in Amritsar, as a grave misstep that cost Gandhi her life. Speaking at the Khushwant Singh Literature Festival in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, on Saturday, while moderating a discussion on journalist Harinder Baweja’s book They Will Shoot You, Madam, Chidambaram emphasized that the operation was a collective decision involving the army, police, intelligence, and civil services, not solely Gandhi’s responsibility.

“No disrespect to any service officers, but that was the wrong way to retrieve the Golden Temple,” Chidambaram stated. He noted that a few years later, a different approach, excluding the army, proved more effective in handling the situation. “There was a way to retrieve and capture all the militants. Operation Blue Star was the wrong way. I agree that Ms. Gandhi paid with her life for that mistake, but it was a cumulative decision,” he added.

Operation Blue Star, conducted from June 1 to June 8, 1984, aimed to suppress a separatist movement in Punjab led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was killed during the army’s storming of the Golden Temple, a sacred Sikh site. The operation, which left the Akal Takht in ruins, sparked widespread outrage in the Sikh community. Months later, Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards, triggering anti-Sikh riots that killed over 3,000 Sikhs in Delhi and beyond, according to government estimates. Allegations of Congress leaders’ involvement in fueling the violence have long plagued the party, with remarks like former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s “when a big tree falls, the ground shakes” adding to the controversy.

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The Bharatiya Janata Party has frequently used the 1984 riots to counter Congress’s political narratives, keeping the issue alive in public discourse. Chidambaram’s remarks highlight the enduring sensitivity and complexity of Operation Blue Star’s legacy in Indian history.

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