Political game or sympathy: Kejriwal at Sikh rally raises questions

Can a political party remain apolitical while expressing solidarity with victims of one of the biggest riots in the country? As the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) began its protest rally to express solidarity with 1984 riot victims at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, the BJP blamed it for politicising the issue. Around 12 pm, former BJP president Vijender Gupta reached the venue where AAP leaders and families of riot affected victims had gathered demanding the arrest of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar. On April 30, a Delhi court acquitted Kumar giving him benefit of doubt. As Gupta went on stage, AAP supporters and some members of the Sikh community started shouting slogans against him asking him to leave the venue. Appealing people to maintain calm, AAP leaders and Gupta left the stage and sat on the road with protesters. “They are playing politics over a very sensitive issue. My party has always said what happened in 1984 was not a riot. It was genocide of people of one community. All culprits should be arrested,” said Gupta, before leaving the protest venue. [caption id=“attachment_749861” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Kejriwal at the protest rally today. Naresh Sharma/ Firstpost[/caption] On its part, AAP spent significant time explaining that it was not trying to politicise the issue. “If it is politics, it is politics of people. I am here because this is not only about Sikhs. Muslims were killed in Gujarat. Hindus were killed in Kashmir. Political parties are killing people for vote bank politics. We are here to change this politics,” said AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal. More than 3,000 members of the Sikh community were killed in riots. The killings were fallout of the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. His party has made four demands on the issue- a 1992 charge sheet that named Sajjan Kumar as a murder accused should be submitted in court, a criminal case lodged against then ACP Rajeev Ranjan for not submitting the charge sheet, formation of an independent SIT to probe the 1984 riots cases and a fresh trial against Kumar in a fast track court. While Nirprit Kaur, who lost her father to riots, began her indefinite fast today, AAP leaders including Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Gopal Rai observed a one day fast in solidarity. Jagdish Kaur, one of the key witnesses in the case, was present at the protest venue along with six families of riot victims and around 200 members of the AAP.